I'm in!!! While camping at Achnahaird, some of the gang had gone to Reiff to do some climby stuff. I decided to take a drive along there with Gavin just to check out the views which turned out to be excellent. However, after a while, Big Al put his t-shirt back on again and I began to get bored.

Wee Iain was also there and suggested that I try on his shoes. I thought they looked as if they might possibly go with an outfit I had recently bought in Next so I decided to give them a try (although it was really his socks I was after). I was surprised to find that they fitted me, despite the fact that I am only a size 4. Wee Iain must have very small feet but I am sure that is no indication of anything, despite what people say. Big Al had just set up a rope (sorry, don't know the technical term) for one of his boys and I was urged to have a go myself. I declined at first but then, realising that this might at last be a way in to the Rock Talk chat room which had long been my aim, I finally agreed. 

Before I knew what was happening, Whitey had me trussed up in this harness thingy and tied to the end of a rope which was dangling from a very large rock. It was carefully explained to me that the object of the exercise was to get from where I was standing at that moment, up to the top of the big rock using feet and hands. Should I fall off at any point, my life would of course be in the hands of Big Al which, to be honest, wasn't all that reassuring especially when I remembered back to all the bad things I had said about him on the website (although, after seeing 'Blast from the Past', better he was up there than on the ground below taking photos). Anyway, it all sounded relatively simple and I set off. My first thoughts were that there didn't seem to be too many sticky out bits to hold on to and at one point I seemed to get stuck with nowhere to go, with my left foot, which was supporting my whole weight, slipping millimetre by millimeter off the hold. However, I thought of Rock Talk and managed to sort myself out a bit but not without lots of girly screams and lots of moral support from Gavin and Iain.

Somehow I managed to drag myself up the thing without the embarrassment of being left dangling from the end of a rope and it did get easier further up. By the time I reached the top my legs were like jelly and my heart was pounding and I was none too happy to be told how I was expected to get down again - something I hadn't actually thought about. I had to take a moment or two to compose myself then, after a few false starts (but then again too few to mention), I set off and made it down safely. So there we go, my first rock climb. Many thanks for the support of all who were involved in this momentous event. Didn't see any rats, hungry or otherwise.