Power trips

WHAT That crisp white snow was so lovely that next on our wish list is winter walking in the Cairngorms and Creag Meagaidh in Scotland, think Arctic but with nights thawing out by the fireside at the guesthouse. The guides at Wilderness Scotland teach you all the snow walking skills and ice-axe arrests and glissades (that’s sliding down an icy slope on your butt) you’ll need, including how to build a snow hole THE PROGRAMME Four days of energetic but not exhausing walks (or climbs) starting off with gentle slopes where you learn to use crampons. Day three, you climb to a spectacular corrie, day four, you skirt cliffs that drop down to Loch Avon, day five, you walk the Burma Road and climb to Geal Charn Mor in the Cairngorms EXPERIENCE NECESSARY It’s graded moderate plus, so you need to be fit, steady on your pins (paths are covered in snow and ice) and be able to put a 3,000 foot high mountain away each day. You’ll also be carrying a backpack full of gear, but don’t worry too much about your snow skills – that (and the stunning views) is what it’s all about AFTER HOURS Plenty of gourmet meals to bulk you up again, warm fires, visits to the local pub and relating of walking tales of valour BOTTOM LINE Four days of winter walking in Scotland, £495, with five nights accommodation in a four-star guesthouse, from January 27 to 31 including most of your meals, safety equipment and guides; Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000170 EndHTML:0000002798 StartFragment:0000002615 EndFragment:0000002762 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/kateodowd/Desktop/Blogsfeb.doc www.wildernessscotland.com  

Frances Power, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

See the February issue of IMAGE for more POWER TRIPS, on shelves now.