I'd invested a fair bit of effort into a hill adventure. Pored over books, folded and unfolded maps, ask friends for advice and recommendations, scoured the Internet for snippets of intel.

And so it came to pass on Thursday night I had a plan and a favourable forecast.

Train was booked; 1333 to Achnashellach via Inverness. Arrive at 1954. A 5 mile walk to the bothy at Culags. Sleep the night there, and then an early start (0600) to trek around 2 Corbett (An Ruaidh Stac and Fuar Tholl) and 3 Munros (Maol Chean Dearg,  Sgorr Ruaidh and Beinn Liath Mhor.)

All things being equal, I should make the last train back on Saturday at 1804. 

And all for £12. Club 50 tickets were available until this weekend, so I figured it was now or never 

I woke around 6, and packed and headed to Hers. The small matter of 5 hours overtime to do before getting on the train (oh and a hoodie pick up from Pieute)

Although the east coast has been cooler than the rest of Scotland,I sat outside the station and wondered if I shouldn't have packed sunscreen. 

Onto the train, which was busy but I still managed to snag a double seat just for lil ole me and settled into Conversations with Friends (Sally Rooney) to wile away the hours (all six of them) to the little strip of concrete in the middle of nowhere that is Achnashellach station.

As we wound our way over the Forth Bridge, the sunny views were gorgeous; and soon we were rattling along the South Fife Coast. Until....
Our next scheduled stop was Kirkcaldy but we ground to a halt in  Kinghorn. An announcement came over the speakers. There was a trespasser on the line up ahead. 
As we waited, it turns out said trespasser was on a bridge and suggesting they may jump, so police negotiators were called. Buses too were promised. From chapter 3 to chapter 11 we sat there, two entirely unrelated narratives filling my 2 hours at Kinghorn station. 

Then. Finally. We moved; the negotiators presumably having succeeded in their work.

Still the sun shone. But with a 2 hour delay, and only an hour between trains, I figured there was little chance they'd hold the Kyle of Lochalsh train back.

As we rolled into Perth we were treated to the news that the train was now terminating there! Would we mind awfully boarding the next train to Inverness,one that was due to depart at the same time as my connection was due to depart in Inverness.

Rail staff in Perth said ' get to Inverness and they'll sort you out but given the way the clock was ticking down I was faced with the prospect of a bus dropping me at midnight in the middle of nowhere and still having 3-4 miles to trek to the bothy and get 4 hours sleep ahead of 12 out walking.

And thats if things went well....!

So instead I took myself off to the Twa Tams, had a pint, wandered about Perth with the camera and got the 1911 home again. 

The only weekend I could probably go before July, glorious weather, and the last weekend of cheap tickets. Still, noone died, the hills will be there another day. But... scunnered