Ben Dorain

What a fantastic way to finish 2007. After the last couple of wind ripped outings we had a calm, still day with good powdery snow and some amazing lighting thrown in for good measure. Definately much colder air temperature than previous trips (ice forming on my rucksack and jacket while walking) but feeling much more pleasant due to the absence of any wind.


We parked at the Bridge or Orchy rail station and headed up the hillside, deciding to take the more direct route rather than the usual gulley approach which turned out to be a great decision. Once up at height the long summit ridge is much more interesting than the view from the roadside would have you believe, in fact, from the road this looks like a big smooth whaleback shaped mountain but the reality is a craggy ridge with some serious cliffs to the east side which I'll definitely be visiting again.

On the way back down we were treated to a Broken Spectre, the same lighting phenomenon as John and I saw in Glen Shiel in the summer. Again very hard to photograph but you can almost make it out in the pics below. We descended the scree filled gulley passing quite a few groups on the way, probably the busiest hill I've seen for quite a while.

Brilliant trip to end the year, hopefully we'll have a good dump of snow between now and mid January when I'll be back out again.

Meall nan Tarmachan

It was John's birthday today, so we decided to go and stand on top of a big hill in freezing winds to celebrate...as you do!

Since John needed to be back home that afternoon we decided on the gentle meander that is Meall nan Tarmachan. The mountain is in the Ben Lawers region which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is therefore very well pathed with decent parking spaces. I'm always in two minds about the dedicated paths on these hills, I understand it preserves the hillside and stops the horrible gouges of mud that scar the hillside of many other mountains but it does remove the wilderness feel when your walking along a constructed path. Anyway, path to the top, easy ascent apart from the ripping sub zero wind , quick pics and a reverse back down again stopping to "fanny about" in some snow banks (see video clip below). A return trip is needed before the winter is out to do the longer and more demanding route from the top of the dam on Lochan na Lairige.

Stob Diamh

The weather man got today completely wrong, not just a bit wrong but waaay off. Had I set off for the hills prepared only for the big sun icon that was stuck over Argyle I would have been in serious trouble. Luckily I'm getting a bit smarter about this Scottish hillwalking lark and prepared for a full winter onslaught. Sure enough the weather had ignored the Met Office prediction and was in a foul mood, we had 50mph wind on the ridge around the lip of Coire Chreachainn swirling in freezing clag multiplied by spindrift that was ripping the skin off the face and were walking on either solid icepack snow, frozen turf or frozen water run-off right from the roadside.

We parked the car at the junction of the minor B8077 (NN 113 282)and headed steeply and up to the 641m point of Monadh Driseig via the obvious col. Onwards to the Corbett of Beinn a Bhuiridh in very low visibility and strengthening winds. Northwards for 2km on the high broad but exposed ridge to Stob Diamh itself, where we stopped for no more than the obligatory photographs, then round the corrie rim clockwise to descend on the broad shoulder that makes up the north side of the corrie all the time fighting the strengthening winds that were now giving us a good beating.

In all an "enjoyable" speedy circuit at 5hrs and although I'd climbed this hill with my dad and the Michelin Walking Club years and years ago, as part of the normal Cruachan Circuit, it was good to revisit it again in very different conditions.

Ben Chabhair

Club Sunday

This is the 4th Sunday in a row I've been out. The spring /summer / autumn hills are great and the long hours and colours can be beautiful but nothing beats the winter for sheer enjoyment. By "enjoyment" I mean getting up at 6:30 on Sunday morning, driving in the dark to a hill then lugging a heavy rucksack with axe and crampons up some snow to stand in minus blah blah wind while easting a ham sandwich.....great stuff.

Anyway, we approached Ben Chabhair from Derrydaroch Farm to avoid the boggy start of the usual ascent route, climbed onto Chabhair's NW ridge and on the the summit.We were subjected toa fair old icy buffeting on the ridge but occasionally passed boulders which cut the wind off like someone had flicked a switch and provided welcome respite for a few seconds. From the summit we dropped steeply down to the col with An Caisteal and then walked out along the valley side.

Stob a Choire Odhair

I woke up at 8am on Sunday morning and made a snap decision to head out for the hills. A Quick sandwich make, flask fill and rucksack pack later and I was heading off for Stob a Choire Odhair which was a mountain I'd been meaning to tick off since last year around this time. Stob Ghabhar and Stob a Choire Odhair are normally climbed together as a circular trip, but having done the former early last winter, today was just the latter.

A beautiful day emerged north of Crainlarich and as I parked up near at Victoria Bridge near Bridge of Orchy on a warm(ish) sunny morning. Only the horror of realising I'd grabbed my summer boots as I looked at the snow capped mountains dampened my spirits.

A stroll along the river to the obvious hut and a easy, but warm, walk up to the corrie rim and then crossing the snow line I followed the wide ridge up to the summit of Stob a Choire Odhair through some mid calf depth snow. Hung around for a bit enjoying the spectacular views and even though my feet were cold the summer boots had been ok.

Lesson learned, If you think you might go out the next day...pack your bag beforehand and check the plastic bag with the boots in it has the boots you need. doh!

Ben Challum

Club Sunday.

7 showed up for a walk out and Ben Challum was decided upon at the car park at Crainlarich mainly due to the fact that 4 of the 7 hadn't been up the hill before (myself included)
Crampons and ice axes were carried but ultimately not used even though by 700 - 800m or so the ground was very solid and the patchy snow cover was iced solid on the North facing banks of the hill. At 3 hours we had a very leisurely wander to the top through more snow than any of us imagined, great views in all directions and the wander back down again saw us back at the car in 5 hours. Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy day under great pleasant wintry conditions.

An Caisteal & Beinn a Chroin

We'd been saving these two "nearby" hills since last year for a day like today. No need to get up stupidly early and only an hour from Glasgow. So setting off from the layby at 10:30a.m. we wandered (sorry squelched) through the first soggy bit and up the path to the base of the mountain proper. A fairly regular incline leads right up onto the ridge that connects Sron Gharbh to Twistin Hill then An Caisteal herself. We were surprised to see a good couple of inches of snow at the summit and we enjoyed the first snows of the season like a couple of giggling schoolkids.
On round South Easterly the East and over some delicious rocky outcrops that weren't in the scrambling league but pleasant enough to get both hands on some rock and therefore walking pole between the teeth. After some navigation training for John we passed the two false summits, both with cairns to confuse novices in the clag, and on the the East (proper) summit in exactly the estimated time.
A steep descent Coire Erb and long muddy walk back along the River Falloch finished the day just as it got dark.

14km, 6 hours at a leisurely pace.

Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis

Excuses, excuses again, but these are the only photos I have of this amazing route. No problems with camera batteries this time, I was just too busy, enjoying myself / hanging on, to take any more. Also the clag descended as we climbed making my second visit to the summit of Britain's highest mountain every bit as boring at the top as the last. However, today wasn't about the summit, it was about the journey up there.

So, two trips now to "The Ben" and not used the tourist path yet. The first time was enjoyable round the CMD arrete, this time was an amazing 600m plus scramble / rock climb with full on gear. Thank goodness I was with guys who were experienced and had done the route before. Not to say there's anything really that hard on the route but the occasional section such as the Douglas Boulder at the beginning, the 20m climb after the Douglas Gap and the infamous Tower Gap made me glad to be roped up. We moved together "Alpine Style" for most of the route and made quick (3 hours) progress on the ridge itself. The whole route took 8 hours in total, a 2 hour walk in in to start of the climb and 3 hours from the summit back to car.

Approaching from the Golf Course rather than the tourist side makes for a much more visually appealing route. Walking right up the Allt a'Mhuilinn Valley into the North side of the glen gives great views of the whole North Face (pic 2) and Tower Ridge (pic 5) can be seen beckoning and teasing for about an hour as you approach (the middle distance ridge in the photo with the nobbly bit near the top).

I've been looking forward to doing a day like this for ages and it didn't dissapoint

In one word, brilliant

Four and a half days in Glen Shiel

We'd planned this trip for a while and were intending to walk the North and South sides of Glen Shiel taking in 20 munros over 5 days. What we hadn't allowed for was sweltering hot weather and the extra exertion of successive days walking. None of these routes are particularly hard but in succession, over the four and a half days we managed 17, not bad but no cigar.

A Ghlas-bheinn

We left Glasgow at 11:30 ish and arrived in Glen Shiel around 3:30 ish. A quick inspection of the choice of two campsites at the end of the glen revealled Morvich to be the less sodden of the two and even though it was slightly more expensive we pitched up there preferring not to sleep in a marsh. A quick bite to eat, geared up and off for our "warm up Munro" A Ghlas-bheinn. Setting off at 4:30 meant we had great views from the summit of the setting sun over Skye to the West. By the time we got back it was getting pretty dark and after a quick wash we cooked pasta and midges by torchlight then retired for the night.

Day 2

The South Glen Shiel Ridge
















































This was our "big day" and I'm glad we were sensible enough to tackle it early on in the week. We tackled the the seven Munros that make up the 14km broad and grassy ridge East to West starting at the Clunie Inn and heading for the car we'd left half way down the glen. The strange thing about the traverse is that the first two Munros are actually further East than the Inn, so the first few hours of the day are spent acttually walking away from the car (which was already a considerable distance away). We attacked the first summit up a more direct off path route to gain height quickly and bagge dthe first two summits, Creag a Mhaim and Druim Shionnach, easily. Aonach air Chirth, Maol Chinn-dearg and Sgurr an Doire Leathain followed, number 5 feeling the hardest push yet. Finally the last two Sgurr an Lochain and Creag nan Damh were summited and we congratulated ourselves on an excellent day in sunshine and stunning views for the entire walk. Earlier on we had me a couple also walking the ridge and offered them a lift back to their car and we now felt compelled to wait for them despite the woman now moving at continental drift speed. Hours ticked by, the light faded and even our deliberate slow pace in descent left us watching the poor knackered woman and her frustrated husband through binoculars from the bottom as she inched painfully down the final slopes. By the time we had shuttled the couple and got back to the campsite it was dark again and the thought of headtorch cooking didn't seem appealing so we stuffed some rolls, cheese and crisps in our faces before collapsing for the night.

Day 3

The Forcan Ridge

















































































































This was the one I was most looking forward to, a grade 2 scramble up one of the most famous ridges in Scotland to the summit of The Saddle as a main course following on to Sgurr na Sgine for pudding. The path up was relatively kind and the Bealach Coire Mhalagain is a great resting point while you whet your appetite peering up at the ridge ahead. As soon as you get the first taste of hands on rock you know this is going to be great. Airy, scary scrambling begins and thousand foot drops open up on each side. It was a bit dissapointing to see well trodden paths bypassing the best of the scrambling making us wonder why anyone would come to such an amazing place and miss out the very essence of being there. Anyway, ignoring the paths we scrambled on and eventually arrived grinning like idiots at the the summit of The Saddle, 1010 meters. Onwards to Sgurr na Sgine looking back every once in a while to gawp at the amazing razor sharp ridge towering overhead again. We decided to descend from Sgurr na Sgine over the minor top of Faochag instead of retracing our steps and were rewarded by watching the glen fill up with an amazing cloud inversion. We sensed the posibility of seeing a Broken Spectre with the sun behind us and the cloud below and raced down the hill literally chasing our shadows eventually managing to see this rare spectacle. Unfortunately it's extremely difficult to photograph but if you look closely, the 5th picture down you can just make out my shadow on the cloud and the halo effect. Probably my best day on the hills yet.

Here's an example of the graceful balance and poise required for efficient scrambling.