ROUTE: Pentland Hills - See GPX File - from Swanston walkers' car park first to Caerketton then on to Allermuir.
MEMBERS OF PARTY: With my wife Marion, and neighbours Humira and her daughter-in-law Mosma, both novice hill walkers.
CONDITIONS: Mild, some occasional mist and drizzle
DURATION: Just under 3 hours
SKILLS PRACTISED: Group Leadership. Environmental Interpretation. Teaching basic map reading skills. I had brought along an enlargement of the Explorer map at 1:10,000 for them to follow and keep as Humira had asked for some basic tuition, and I pointed out our location at frequent intervals allowing Humira a breather at the same time. Mosma in particular quickly absorbed the essentials and was soon able to locate us quite accurately - very impressive! I also talked a bit about equipment and kit. During the walk, Humira borrowed one of Marion's trekking poles and soon found it a great help on the steeper gradients. I sent to a link for her to buy some from Black Diamond.
MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT: I managed to shoe-horn in some basic environmental information: they were interested to see the true Scottish heather in the wild, Calluna vulgaris, although all trace of purple had gone from the flowers, and to learn that the summit rocks were originally from a volcano. We also saw a Roe deer in the woodland above the golf course which brought further pleasure.
KEY LEARNING POINTS/CONTRIBUTION TO EXPERIENCE: Building the confidence of Humira - her aim is Ben Nevis! Brilliant to see the smiling faces and the obvious enjoyment this outing was able to bring. I was delighted to learn how much even a relatively simple hill walk can contribute to confidence. Humira said she will use the map to bring other members of her extended family on the same walk, and we also agreed on a follow-up trip to Ben Lomond in the spring, followed by a meal in Glasgow's most authentic Punjabi curry house!
