A Winters Trip To Scotland February 2014

I have waited a few days before writing my account of my latest trip to Scotland. I had planned on a fairly lengthy stay of 11 days but I'm afraid I only lasted a total  of five. In truth I had been in two minds about going in the first place. Kevin wasn't going and the weather forecast was pants and I couldn't generate any great enthusiasm for the journey. The saving grace was that I was to finally meet Craig Coid, the gentleman who found my camera on Ben Nevis several years ago and get to spend a few days with Patrick Price with whom I had had such a great time in Torridon last year. I hummed and hawed and prevaricated and eventually decided to give it a go. Once I had made up my mind I started to feel better about going and by the Friday morning I was looking forward to the off.

Friday  and Saturday Feb 21st & 22nd;

Once again I was taking the long way there and I left home at 11.15 to catch the 11.40 train to Dublin. Then the ferry to Holyhead followed by another train to Crewe where I caught the Caledonian Sleeper at 23.40 which saw me arrive at Crianlarich at 07.40 on Saturday morning. I was pretty tired to say the least and fighting the effects of a head cold and my mood wasn't greatly improved when I emerged into an overcast wet and windy morning. I was booked into the Inverardran House B&B which was nearly a kilometers walk away but there was nothing for it but to set off. Thankfully the rain eased and I didn't get too wet on the way. I was let into the entrance hall by the very pleasant proprietor and I simply dropped my big wheelie bag and set off with my rucksack and headed for a climb of Ben More. So off I set along the road in the direction of Benmore farm about two kilometers along where the route starts. I could see up to about 900mtrs before the mountains became enveloped in the scudding clouds. The snowline was down to about the 600mtr contour and from what I could see, everything above that was liberally covered. It was fairly mild as well and the nasty blustery showers didn't promise to turn to snow any time soon. Upon reaching the farm the way ahead is pretty obvious. There is a wide track that wends its way up the steep hillside which I duly followed until it contours around into Benmore Glen on the right and here I left it and just put the head down and took a direct line upwards. Ben More rises steeply and majestically skywards right from the shores of Loch Lubhair and soars unbroken to an impressive height of 1174mtrs. After all the travelling and despite the weather it felt good to be out and exercising my stiff limbs. The wind, especially in the showers was quite strong and I didn't have any illusions as to how strong it would get as I gained height. At around the 500 mtr mark I reached the first of the snow and it didn't take long to decide that it was best avoided for now as it was sugary and soft and made upward progress quite difficult. Soon enough this was no longer an option but thankfully once I reached the 700 mtr mark I was no longer sinking deep into the snow yet crampons were not yet necessary. I climbed on and by the time I got above the 800 mtr contour the snow started to firm up nicely and I was at the point of deciding that axe and crampons were a good idea. Unfortunately it was also at this point that the terrain becomes more of a defined ridge and the speed of the wind increased substantially. Where up to now I was merely being buffeted about suddenly I was literally being blown sideways. I would take a few steps up and then be whipped four or five to my left, up a few more and so on. This was just about ok here where there was a broad simple slope on my left and the snow was still fairly soft but soon the snow would be hard and the terrain even more defined and I reasoned that then things would be untenable so I turned about and headed down.

Looking back to the start of the route

Ben More is up there somewhere

I was disappointed but not surprised as that was the forecast and I hoped to be able to give it another go in a few days. The twin peaks of Ben More and Stob Binnean had often caught my eye on previous trips to the area. In winter they form a dramatic backdrop as you look south from Tyndrum and I have heard them referred to as the "Castor and Pollux" of Scotland and I have to say it is an understandable analogy. It was a bit frustrating to be so near and to be repelled but if it was too easy I guess there wouldn't be the same satisfaction in climbing them. I wasn't long making my way down and I was back at the B&B at 11.30 and relieved to find that my room was ready and I could get out of my sodden clothes. A fine big spacious room allowed me to spread out my stuff and the hot bath was a glorious luxury. I wasn't too worried about how I would spend the remainder of the day as I quickly snuggled up under the duvet to catch up on some sleep and at four pm I watched the excellent rugby match (except for the result) between England and Ireland. Craig had arranged for a friend and regular climbing partner of his to meet me the following day for a climb. Mark had contacted me and we were all set and looking forward to a day out except the weather forecast was appalling with torrential rain and gusts of wind up to 90 mph expected at 900 meters so we had to were forced to cancel. So with climbing out as an option I decided that I would go for a run instead.

Sunday February 23rd;

Its fair to say that the forecast wasn't wrong. During the night the rain was indeed torrential and the wind was loud in the nearby woods. Lightning was another addition to the mix but thankfully by morning things had eased -a little bit. I enjoyed an excellent and rather large cooked breakfast and retired back to my room to relax. I had formulated a plan to get the bus from the village as far as The Bridge of Orchy and run back along the West Highland Way. This was a total distance of 13 miles and I felt it would make a worthy outing for this bad weather day. The bus was to leave at 11.40 so I had over two and a half to kill. I decided to have a snooze for myself and next thing I knew was I woke to see that I had only 30 minutes left to catch the bus. Up and a quick sorting out of clothes etc and I was off jogging into the village. Thankfully the weather had eased further and there were some breaks in the rain and the wind had eased down a bit. I arrived at the bus stop but there was no listing of for a bus at the time I hoped. I hung around for ten minutes after the allotted arrival time but there was no sign of a bus. Not wanting to hang around indefinitely I had a quick change of plan and decided to run to Tyndrum and back a total of twelve miles. I found the access trail that would take me to the Way and set off.

From Kirkton towards Ben More

Ben Challom from Cononish

Beautiful woodland under Beinn Dubhcraigh

Beinn Chuirn

Looking towards Cononish

Ben Oss

Eis Aine in full flow

Cononish river flood

Straight away I was enjoying it immensely. The well made trail wound its way up, down and around , sometimes through the woods, sometimes across open ground and was always varied and interesting. Soon there were great views down to the very impressive River Fillan which was in full spate and flooding the valley below. I took it easy and wanted to enjoy the experience.  The wind and rain only added to the wild feel of the day. After crossing several burns ( most of which were thankfully bridged) the trail dropped down under the railway and then crossed the road and the river Fillan and then through Kirkton farm. Now the  rough trail way left behind and the way ahead was on good surfaced tarmac and farm roads. From here on through Auchtertyre farm and then back across the road for a damp run along the semi flooded riverside trail before once again entering the woods and finally arriving in Tyndrum. I like Tyndrum and have stayed here several times before. The By The Way Hostel is great and I would have stayed there this time but they were full. Anyway as I had arrived and was still feeling not too bad I opted to extend my outing and run out as far as the gold mine at Cononish. A gentle pull of seventy meters through forestry roads and after a couple of kilometers I arrived at the banks of the River Cononish. Here you are once again in wide open spaces and in fine clear weather the views in towards Ben Lui are stunning. Today it was a wild and windswept place and I still loved it even though I was now into the teeth of the wind. Soon enough I arrived at the farm and turned right and headed uphill to the mine and the real attraction here the beautiful waterfall called Eas Aine. The long steady pull soon passed and I found myself at the base on the thunderous cascade. At the top the falls drop in two vertical steps of about forty meters each before then tumbling through the gully for another seventy or eighty meters. Today I was seeing it at its most spectacular. It was a loud rushing fury that warned me to take care with every step as I climbed towards its base. I am reliably informed that in cold winters it freezes and forms one of the best ice climbs in the area. Now that would be a day out to remember. I lingered here a while and ate an energy bar before I turned and trundled easily back down and out alongside the river to rejoin the Way near Dalrigh. From here I retraced my steps back to the B&B. The weather was now improving and as I ran towards Kirkton farm I was treated to taunting beautiful views  towards Ben More. I was pretty tired by the time I arrived back and felt every mile of the seventeen or so I had done. There was a surprising amount of ascent?descent on the Way and when you throw in Cononish as well i reckoned I had had a total in excess of 700 meters done. Still once again a long hot bath went a long way to easing the aching legs. All in all I was well pleased with the day.

Monday February 24th;

I was really looking forward to today as I was finally going to meet with Craig Coid who four years previously had incredibly found a camera I had lost on the "Mantrap" high on the North East Buttress on Ben Nevis. I had lost it on the 18th of February and he had found it at the base of the Orion Face in the middle of April and incredibly, despite falling about 1000 ft and being exposed to the vagaries of a Scottish winter the camera still worked and by posting pictures from the memory card on West Coast Mountain Guides website we managed to get in contact and he returned it to me. We have been in contact since online and it was going to be nice to actually meet the man behind the Facebook profile. We had arranged to meet at 8am in the village and he was going to head to Glencoe and see what the conditions would allow us to do. The weather was once again a bit pish but thankfully the wind was relatively light so we should at least be able to venture onto the mountains. I walked into the village and he duly arrived at the allotted hour. A warm greeting ensued and I climbed into his cavernous four wheel drive and we were off. He was accompanied by his longtime work colleague, friend and now business partner Bill and straight away there was an easy chat and banter on the go. I was immediately at ease and enjoying myself and lets just say that humour fun and stories galore filled the day. One thing that was clear as evidenced by the number of avalanche slides and remnants we could see on the way was that our options for any technical routes were very limited and the boys used their considerable experience and opted for the Schoolhouse Ridge and Sgorr Dhearg.

Craig

Bill

Looking down to Ballachulish

A wee bit wintry on top

Do we go that way??

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Wonderful views on the way down

The bridge is thata way

Schoolhouse Ridge

After eventually finding somewhere that could accommodate Craigs HUGE vehicle ( sorry Craig, well you did say I was small and oh let just say, frequently brought up my penchant for losing cameras :o) ) we set off on our route. reasonable weather and great company ensured that the steep climb up towards the ridge passed easily. At first the ridge is broad but higher up it narrows and has a few steep and exposed steps. These are easily climbed and soon the subsidiary top of Sgorr Bhan 947 mtrs is reached. Here the surface is wind scoured and at times a bit icy but the short descent and steady pull up to Sgorr Dhearg 1022 mtrs is easily done without crampons. Here we overtook a quartet of climbers who were fully suited and booted with ropes, crampons and GoPro camera. We lingered very briefly and retraced our steps back to more sheltered ground above Coire Riabach where we had a well earned lunch. Here as we dropped just below the cloud cover we were treated to lovely views down to Ballachulish and Glencoe. Craigs encyclopedic knowledge of these mountains came once again to the fore as he pointed out where the iconic bridge in Ballachulish North should be as we came under the mist. The rest of the the route flew by and before long we were back at the car and changing into warm dry clothes. A nice coffee and pastry in the excellent cafe in Glencoe and we were on our way back through the incomparable Pass of Glencoe again. We stopped briefly to look into Coire nan Lochan and much evidence was to be seen of many avalanches. It was a good call by Craig and Bill to avoid the area entirely.

The irrepressible Craig Coid 

We drove back to Crianlarich where we enjoyed a nice meal in the well appointed Crianlarich Hotel. Conversation flowed and I learned some more about the two gentlemen. After both having lengthy and successful careers in the Glasgow police force they decided upon retirement to establish an outdoor recreation and adventure company with particular emphasis on working with the youth in the greater Glasgow area. Judging by the apparent full diaries they both had, the company "Simply Epic Adventures" was already a great success. It was a pleasure to meet Bill who had a warmth about him as great as his stature and Craig was a delight whose wit and conversation ensured that I look forward to meeting him more often in the future. So we said our goodbyes and I retired to my room for the evening. I checked the weather forecast for the next four or five days and unfortunately there was no reprieve on the horizon.

Tuesday February 25th;

I awoke to another poor weather day. A strong wind and heavy rain swept across the landscape and my hope of giving Ben More another go were once again dashed. I had absolutely no phone coverage in the area and my only communication with people was via Facebook or email. I was to meet Patrick on Wednesday evening but I wasn't sure where or what time and the emails I had sent hadn't yet received a reply. I also had to leave my B&B this morning and with the weather so poor I was at a loss what to do for the day. I had planned heading to Fort William that evening and perhaps climbing Ben Nevis Wednesday morning but I suppose it may have been the uncertainty or the weather or the fact that I just felt weary but I decided to cut my losses and return home that day. I was booked on the sleeper train out of Inverness on Sunday evening but rather than spend another couple of days tooling about and with such a poor  forecast the very real likelihood of not getting any climbing done in Torridon either, I took the train as far as Oban where I could change my booking and booked myself onto the sleeper train that left that evening from Fort William. I managed to get a text away to Patrick and another email and I returned on the next service to Crianlarich where I got the next service to Fort William. I had a few hours to kill here and as I walked along a rainy highstreet in this dreary place I was relieved that I would soon be leaving it. It was such a relief to finally board the train and I rocked and rolled through the night before alighting in Crewe at 05.30 Wednesday morning. Another train to Holyhead and a three hour ferry trip saw me finally board a train in Dublin at 13.00 and arrive home at 15.30. I had been on trains for a total of 17 hours out of the previous thirty plus a few on a ferry so it was no surprised that I was wrecked. I had also picked up a sinus infection and also, throughout the following 24 hours I felt like I was still on the ferry as I had a slight dose of motion sickness. It was great to relax and now as I write this almost a week later I realise it had taken me a full five days to get back to my usual self. I do have one major regret though and that is that I feel I left Patrick down. After suggesting that we meet in the first place and he being kind enough to agree and be prepared to take a few days out of his busy schedule to climb with me I felt a deep guilt at leaving before we met. I hope he will forgive me and see fit to join me for other adventures in the future. My biggest fear though was that I had lost my love for travel and the mountains. I had been so reticent beforehand and this time I found the journey tiring rather than exciting. Usually I'm also not too bothered by the weather. I will regather my energy and spirits and give myself a few weeks before I think about heading somewhere again. It had been wonderful to meet Craig and our day out was the highlight of the trip. Anyway all is back to normal and I will wait and see what the future brings.

Scotland February 2011

Back home again after another trip to Scotland. This time I went with a Dublin climber I had climbed once with in Kerry in December. I traveled to Scotland in a novel fashion this time as I flew into Gatwick Airport London and caught the Caledonian Sleeper train to Fort William. It is a wonderful way to travel. Being greeted by the steward and shown to my cabin berth, it all smacked of more elegant travel in times gone by. Having bought myself a few brews in the station I settled down to read and listened to music alone in the cabin. By ten thirty pm I was ready to sleep and I turned in and was soon lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking on the carriage, happily oblivious to the English countryside rolling by outside. My wake up call was at eight the following morning. This was accompanied by a cup of coffee and some shortbread (what else in Scotland). Opening the window blind and seeing the wonderful wilderness and mountains of Scotland roll by and knowing that you are nearing your final destination well rested and refreshed was a great feeling.

Friday: Feb 11th
I met Niall Currid at the train station and as it was now 10am I suggested Ledge route on Ben Nevis as a good warmer up outing. After a quick cup of coffee we set off in to Glen Nevis and started from the youth hostel at 11am. There is a fine stepped path up side of Meall an t-Suidhe and height is quickly gained until you arrive at the half way loch. From here the path traverses the lower slopes of Carn Dearg and you enter the valley between Carn Mor dearg and the northern face of Ben Nevis. The first thing that strikes you is the imposing mass of the cliffs of Carn Dearg. If anything persuades you the the Ben is a bit special then this is it. The day wasn't too bad. There was a blustery breeze that promised buffeting winds on high and the cloud was high and covering only the top 200mtrs or so. We made fine time and arrived at the CIC hut at 12.30pm. As I had never done Ledge Route before and it is described in the guide book as the finest grade two climb on the mountain I was really looking forward to it.

We headed up towards Number Five Gully from where the route starts. There was a lot of avalanche debris strewn across the slope guarding the entrance to the gully. Oftentimes this can be soft and awkward to climb but today it was firm and progress was relatively easy. The start of the gully is quite wide but where it narrows there is a wide shelf leading upwards to the right. We followed this and as there were footprints continuing straight on and others going up a gully to the left I opted for us to follow straight on. The shelf petered out and so did the steps but there appeared to be an exit up to the left up a steep snow slope and a rocky spur continuation. This proved to be a bit of a mistake as when I climbed up a little bit onto the rock it was horribly rotten and steeper than first appeared. I got back down with some difficulty and we retreated back to the shelf and up the gully. This led to easy ground to the right where more rocky ground forms a definite ridge which sweeps up through impressive scenery to the summit of Carn Dearg.

We were by now up in the mist and the promised strong winds were indeed in evidence. Visibility was poor but despite this and the lateness of the hour we agreed to continue to the summit of Ben Nevis. So we skirted the cliffs edge the whole way to the summit in the ever worsening visibility. When we reached the summit we met a Swedish pair who had come up Zero gully and an English pair that had climbed .5 Gully. Both of these climbs are Grade5 and they deemed the conditions very good. We stopped for a bite to eat, ( I was to learn that food was very important to Niall and it wasn't unusual for him to have two dinners in one evening), and we all set off together . The English boys were following a bearing and the rest of us followed. We soon emerged under the cloud and we descended the Red Burn almost to the tourist track and then followed the track back to the car. We arrived back at 18.30pm and were reasonably satisfied with a good workout. I must confess that I had expected more from Ledge Route. It is a very straightforward route for GradeII and at no stage does it present any difficulties. Still we were happy and we had a bite to eat in Fort William, did a bit of shopping and headed for a hostel in Kinlochleven which was to be our base for a few nights.

Saturday: Feb 12th.
After some discussion and being mindful of the high avalanche risk I suggested that we do the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe. This is a lovely outing on an always engaging ridge that stretches for three miles between Am Bodach and Scorr nam Fiannaidh. Access is via the wonderful pass of Glencoe with its wonderful three sisters and long valleys sweeping up to Bideam nam Bian on one side and of course the ground sweeping up to the Aonach Eagach ridge on the other. After a good breakfast we headed to the pass and we were leaving the car at 9am. The climb starts immediately and it continues unrelentingly until you reach the summit of Am Bodach. When we passed the 750mtr mark there was plenty of fresh snow lying and this only got deeper as we neared the summit. The day was really quite good with little wind and only patchy cloud that promised that views could be enjoyed through the day. There was evidence that others were gone ahead of us and we followed their footprints until we reached the first of the difficulties.

Along the Aonach Eagach Ridge

Here we caught the group of five as they were in the middle of descending the forty or so meters that is called the Chancellor. They already had a rope rigged and kindly offered that we could use it. This we did, using it as a handrail and so we were over the first step quickly. Their generosity had a bonus for them as well as we were now the first to cross the ridge and our footprints were the ones that could now be followed and therefore be used to see where the steps etc were. The ridge continues in a series of narrow arrets and pinnacles with some awkward down climbs and short gullies and rocky bluffs. Always reamed by gullies the going is constantly interesting and proved a much more engaging day out. There was one section where Niall went down ahead of me. I had him on belay and he decided that the best way was accross an awkward little traverse followed by a short downclimb to easier ground. This he did but when I followed the exposure and some of the moves proved quite unnerving for me. A self belay from rock higher up would have been a better option for me. Still I succeeded and we continued along. We eventually arrived at the summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh with all difficulties behind us. The normal descent route is to head towards the Pap of Glencoe and down to the road between the village and the Clacaig Inn. This would have meant a six mile road walk back to the car. We headed instead on a direct line from the summit to the pass below and eventually arrived at the road just three miles from the car. We tried hitching and lo and behold before we had walked 400mtrs we got a drive to the car. Result!!! We were back at the car at 16.30 which meant that we had completed the route in about 7hours 15minutes. Pretty good going. Back to the Clacaig where Niall had a meal and back to the hostel where we later cooked another dinner of pasta. A good day out.

Sunday: Feb 13th.
The poor weather forecast for the area for Sunday did indeed materialize. Heavy rain was the order of the morning and a leisurely day was decided upon. A late breakfast and a lazy morning eventually got the better of me and I decided to venture out anyway. I went for a hike up another Am Bodach in the Mamores. This meant that there was no driving involved as the route started right from the village. Niall opted to stay and watch Ireland V France in rugby but did drive me up to Mamore lodge which took 200mtrs off the climb. By the time I took off the weather was improving and it soon dried up altogether. The snow was lying at about 500mtrs and I was soon trudging up fresh soft snow. At around 750mtrs I came to some old scoured snowfields that required the axe to come out and kicking steps. I soon entered the cloud and whiteout conditions again prevailed. Up over 900mtrs the ground became more serious and cliffs and drifts and cornices were the order of the day. As I didn't really want to have a serious outing I turned and retreated to below the cloud. At the scoured snowfields I found a good spot to do some axe arrest practice and I was soon throwing myself head first down the slope amongst other things. All good fun and I felt I had done something productive with the day. An easy walk back to the hostel followed by a few tinnies watching the match ended an enjoyable day.

Monday: Feb 14th
This was the day I had been waiting for. The plan today was to climb the North East Buttress on Ben Nevis. This is an awesome looking route and probably the best GradeIV on the mountain. When you are walking towards the CIC hut the ridge is in profile and is perhaps the most dominant feature in sight. The forecast was fair with most importantly light winds. There was however a lot of fresh snow blanketing everywhere after the previous day. Avalanche was a distinct possibility but hey ho, sometimes you have to go for it. We left the car at 8am and set off at a fast pace. We were overtaking other parties and reached the hut in good time. Thereafter the going became tougher as we had to break trail towards the route through deep snow. We ploughed on and rounded the base of the buttress and headed for the ramp that takes you to the first platform and the start of the route proper. We cut up to the right and enjoyed nice gradeII ground to the ramp and then again waded up steep snow to the platform. Half way to the platform I suffered a nasty attack of the hot aches which almost made me sick and I had to sit down for a few minutes.

There is a good block belay at the start of the first pitch which Niall offered to lead. Rounding an exposed ledge he headed up a leftward slanting gully into a steep awkward corner. Protection was sparse and watching him at the vertical top of the corner there appeared to be little ice also. Still he made short work of it and shortly thereafter he had a belay set up and called me on. I followed easily, secure on the rope and soon reached the corner. Here I came face to face with stiff grade four climbing and set off up. All was going well until I was literally making the final move over the top when as I was placing one axe the other broke loose and I fell back a little. Shit and bollocks I hate falling even when I'm seconding. Still I had to get up and I set too again at huffed and puffed to the belay. This hadn't done my confidence any good so Niall led the second pitch too. This heads up straight forward ground and then traverses left under steep rock and then up steep snow and ice to another belay at almost a full 60mtr rope length. He took some time on this pitch and because he had rounded a corner we couldn't hear each other at all so communication confusion was the norm. Eventually after many rope pulls I took the chance that I was on belay and set off up. Sure enough the rope stayed tight and I continued up. Niall had to dig out a few ice screw placements and the traverse was on an exposed icy snow ledge. Rounding the rock I soon reached him where the belay was a couple of screws.

Easier ground continued up to what appeared from below a good spike belay, so I said I would continue up and throw a sling around it and bring him up. The rock proved to be no good so I continued on for approx 50 mtrs from the belay to a little rockface where I realized that I had no hardward with me to set up a proper belay. There was the possibility of a thread belay but I was unable to get the sling through. I improvised and managed to wedge the pick of each axe into either side of a split rock and belayed from that. Not textbook but good enough in the circumstances. Niall soon arrived and used hexes to reset the belay and he set off up. Yet again a full rope length was used and rope pulls were required. A lot of time was wasted by this lack of communication and perhaps a couple of walkie talkies would be a good idea. I followed on up to the belay in an overhanging corner. The exit from here wasn't immediately obvious and this was my lead. I had a look at the left hand side where a thin ice smear coupled with an unbalancing step seemed to offer a possibility. I managed to get a good axe in but the step up proved too awkward so I came back down. I tried the right hand side and a good axe and a strong pull up and I was over and on my way. Soon another tricky step up and over a smooth rock presented itself. I was able to protect it and a bit of a hopeful pull on an iffy axe and some undignified wallowing and I was over. Easy but exposed ground led to a belay at a rock nose. I brought Niall to up and we tried to figure out how to proceed from here.

Starting pitch five heading for the Mantrap

We had arrived at the Mantrap. The day was by now getting late and it was apparent that we would be doing well to be on the summit before dark. The looked just about possible to climb with sloping edges of rock but no axe placements. Niall gave it a go and was about six feet up when he fell on top of me, but a couple of crampon cuts on my hard shell trousers the only damage. A little down to the right and he managed to get good axe placements and he was over. Up steep snow and the forty foot corner soon follows. He managed to protect this with screws and got over with no problems. He is a fine strong climber. Now it was my turn. I dropped down a little and managed to get some purchase with the axes. However my short frame meant I was finding it too much to reach over the rock edge and I had to try to get some purchase with my crampons on the rock face. It was with great relief that I managed to get a little grip and I got an axe in higher up. Another axe followed and then my feet went and I lost grip on the axes and I slid back down with the axes about two feet above my reach. FUCK. I had to pull myself up on the lanyard and it took two more exhausting efforts to surmount the problem. The forty foot corner looked almost too hard to my tired self but I managed to get up and over without further problems.

I led on up easy ground to what in the gathering dark I hoped was the last obstacle, a short rocky outcrop with an exit on a slanting ramp to the left. This I left to Niall and he made short work of it and ran out some rope and brought me up and over. We were now on the summit ridge but the only problem was that it was all but dark. I went ahead, feeling my way with the axes and keeping the vague shadow of the abyss on the right. Sometimes there were dips in the snow which made one doubt that all was well but tentative feeling found more snow and progress continued. I was delighted to eventually see the summit shelter appear ahead and we gratefully stopped here for something to eat. It was 7pm. After a short rest there was nothing for it but to trust in the compass and we headed down using the bearings supplies on the Harvey map. Step after step we continued and we were delighted to emerge from the clouds to find we were exactly in the right place. The descent was long and we arrived at the cat at 22.20 a full fourteen hours after we started.

Happy to finally reach the summit

Tuesday: Feb 15th
After the exertions of the previous day we had a lazy morning and headed up Sgurr a Mhaim to around 750mtrs in search of deep snow to make snow bollards and axe belays ect. It was a bit of an anticlimax after the previous day but that was only to be expected. That ended the climbing for this trip. The North East Buttress is I think about the limit of my ability but as I sit here I am itching to give it another go. An aside is that I lost my camera on the buttress so I have a dearth of pictures.

Scotland November 2010



On pretty much a whim I headed to Scotland on Friday afternoon November 5th. Not being one to do things the easy way and wanting to avail of the free travel passes I had for train and ferry I went to Belfast by train and caught the late ferry to Stranraer. I arrived at 01.30 and had to wait until 07.10 for a train to Glasgow. A further two hour wait ensued until I got the wonderful west highland train to Tyndrum. I arrived at 14.15 and checked into the By the Way hostel for a few nights. This is a fabulous hostel and I would highly recommend a visit. Even though it had been a long 24 hours of travel I immediately ditched my bags and set off on a short climb of the hill behind the village. This involved a steep pull onto the shoulder of Creag Bhan Eigheach and a gentle climb onto Meall Buidhe at 653mtrs. A steep drop back to the village followed in the gathering gloom and I was soon settled back in the hostel.



From Len Lui towards Ben Cruachan

 

 

 

Sunday November 7th;

Today promised to be a beautiful day but the forecast warned of bad weather arriving in the evening. I therefore decided to make an early start and was out on the trail before 7am. The plan today was to climb Ben Lui, and if the weather allowed, to do Beinn a Cleibh as well. Then if things were still OK, I hoped to return over Ben Oss and Beinn Dubhcraig.This would make it a fine, four munro outing. It was a beautiful crisp frosty morning and the long gentle walk to the base of Ben Lui, on the good track, was delightful. This approach shows Ben Lui, with it's impressive corrie (Coire Goathach), at it's best. The first rays of sun lit it's flanks and gave the morning a distinct alpine flavour.

Arriving at the end of the track the climbing begins. A fairly steep pull brings you into the base of the corrie and you then climb right onto the broad ridge of Stob Garbh. The ever expanding views are great and to the north a dusting of snow could be seen on the summit of Ben Nevis. Ever upward I went and before too I was approaching the frozen summit ridge. The views all around were superb. The view of the beautiful Ben Cruachan near Oban was particularly delightful. As the weather was still playing ball I went onward to the uninspiring Beinn a Chleibh. I am really amazed that this has munro status as there is barely 150mtrs of accent involved in reaching it's broad summit. It seems to me that I have been on other "tops" elsewhere that are much more difficult to attain. Still a quick up and back, bagged it, and I then made a long traverse of the southeastern slopes of Ben Lui so as to reach the saddle under Ben Oss. There followed a solid 350mtrs of a slog to the summit. By now the weather was showing signs of a change and cloud could be seen massing to the south. I headed quickly to Beinn Dubhchraig over undulating ground and then climbed the 180mtrs to the top. A long descent followed along the Allt Coire Dubhchraig on a very boggy path. I then joined the West Highland Way that led easily back to the hostel. It had been a super day. Four munros climbed, 1600mtrs of climbing and 24 kilometers covered. It started to rain ten minutes after I arrived back.

Ben Oss

Beinn Dubhchraig

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday November 8th;

After a wet and windy night things hadn't improved by Monday morning. The wind blew horizontal sheets of rain up the valley from Crianlarich. Still I decided to get the first train to Bridge of Orchy and climb Ben Dorian. Snow was now lying to 400mtrs so I emerged from the train with every layer of clothes already on. The route starts from the station and follows the Allt Coire an Dothaidh into the corrie. While the weather was bad I was comfy in all the clothes and the further I got into the the corrie the more shelter was provided. The cloud was up at around 800mtrs. All was going well until I reached the bealach. Here I experienced the full fury of the wind and though I managed to get up to the 800mtr mark, by now further progress was proving impossible as I was being literally being blown backwards. I was also being blinded by spindrift which constantly covered my goggles. I therefore decided to turn back and retreated back to the train station. I then followed the West Highland Way back to Tyndrum and after a good shower and fresh clothes felt happy with the day and thoroughly invigorated.

Tuesday November 9th;

Tuesday was a much more benign day. The snow from the previous couple of days was still lying to 600mtrs. As I was heading to Fort William that afternoon to join up with my friend Francis Jan Kluzniac I made an  early start and headed for Beinn Challuim. The route followed the West Highland Way until it enters Auchtertyre farm. From here access is gained to the open mountain. A broad gentle slope gradually rises and I soon entered the snowline. The saddle is broad until you reach a steepening under the south top and from here a  stiff 200mtrs sees one on this top. The views south towards Loch Lomond are superb and to the east the snowy vista continues.



The view east from Beinn Challuim

Beinn Challuim 

 

 

 

 

I made a swift return to the valley floor via the same route. It had been a very enjoyable outing and had given a real taste of proper winter. I was looking forward to what was to come. I caught the evening train to Fort William and met up with Frank and we made our plans for tomorrow.

Wednesday November 10th;

 A very early start on Wednesday morning saw Frank and me leaving the North Face car park heading for Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis. It was a frosty cloudless and wind free morning, and the day promised much. We made steady progress and were above the CIC hut by dawn. A steep slog up around the Douglas Boulder and we headed right and our first steps onto the ridge proper. We had to don crampons straight away as although they were mostly snow free, the rocks were icy. We moved together and climbed steadily on good rock at an oblique angle and gained the ridge crest just before the first tower. The climbing was not difficult but was quite exposed.

Frank behind the CIC hut

The climbing before the first tower

Climbing the first tower



After the Great Tower

 We moved together mostly on the ridge proper and we made good progress. We faithfully followed the crest of the ridge until we arrived under the great tower and the infamous eastern traverse. This was quite easy but we were not sure where to start the climb to the top of the great tower. We continued too far and climbed instead into the tower gap. This was seriously exposed and had some vertical steps. The rock and our axes were sticky from the cold. After the gap all the real difficulties were over and we continued easily to the summit. The day was glorious and Frank enjoyed his first time on the roof of Britain in sunshine with alpine views. After a well earned lunch we returned to the car and headed to town to quietly celebrate.

Well happy on Ben Nevis summit

The long journey home began the following morning. The weather was once again wet and stormy and we were very happy to have done Tower Ridge in such perfect conditions the previous day.  All in all a good trip and I am already looking forward to the next time.

A magic week in Scotland February 2010

 I waited until something worthwhile was done before I started my blogging career. As I'm just back from a solo week in bonnie Scotland, there is a lot to report. There is no doubt, that when conditions are right, Scotland is a match for anywhere in the world. Mostly blue skies, no wind, and snow down to sea level, made the trip, a memorable experience. I was looking for a different experience this time, so off I went with a large rucksack, stuffed with enough cloths and provisions to last me for three or four days. This would make me fully independent and enable me to do a bothie to bothie trek. I traveled on the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead overnight, before a long series of train journeys saw me arrive in Tulloch train station at 22.30. The old station building is now a lovely comfortable hostel and I stayed there that night.

 

Tuesday February 16th,

 

 After a good sleep and cooked breakfast I emerged refreshed and enthused and ready for my adventure.There was some low cloud, but it was dry and windless, as I set off on the two mile road trek to the base of the gentle ridge that leads to Essians. I was well pleased with how I was able to carry the bag, which weighed about 18 kilos. While mindful of it, I made steady but good progress up the ridge. As height was gained the views became more expansive and I soon found myself above a thin layer of cloud, with great views in all directions. The first bit of interest, came on the steep climb up on to the shoulder of Meal Cian Derg. This was a steep section, with a little exposure, which allowed height to be gained rapidly to 790mtrs. Thereafter, I was well and truly above the snowline. Firm snow and a gentle incline made for very pleasant going, and I soon found myself on the summit push for Stob a Choire Mheadhoin(1105mtrs). Unfortunately, just as I was summiting a bank of cloud arrived, and cheated me of any view. For the next little while, the compass was required to make progress. I made my way down to the bealach before Stob Choire Essian(1115mtrs). The steep 160 meters to the top, was soon over, and my second munro of the day was in the bag. The descent was very straight forward, and I was able to take a direct line for my final destination for the day, a bothy at Leacach. I arrived at the bothy at around 3pm, so I had plenty of time to make myself at home. A change of cloths and a hot drink, and the evening was mine to do with what I willed. The bothy was basic but I had all that I needed. They are a great resource and I felt that I was having a truly wild and remote experience.

The Essians

Home sweet home

Stob Ban, my tracks from earlier in the day can be seen.

Into the Grey Corries  ridge

 

 A perfect morning

The Binneans

Alpenglow over the Nevis Range

Towards Rannoch from Binnean Beg

heavy snow but hard work

The views around the bothy are great. The imposing Sgurr Innse lies just across the valley, and Stob Ban and the Grey Corries loom just behind. At around 5pm it started to snow gently, so I stayed inside for the rest of the evening. It was quite cold, but thankfully, I had purchased a good insulated jacket before I went, and that, combined with my down sleeping bag, meant I stayed nice and warm. I made my evening meal at about 6pm, and retired to bed with a book. I had a very active mouse for company, who busied himself looking for flapjack crumbs and anything else he could get to. There ensued a fitful night, as I wasn't used to the discomfort of the sleeping mat, but eventually I did fall asleep.

 

Wednesday February 17th;

 

 I awoke at dawn the following morning, and when I peeked outside I was greeted by a cloudy, calm, winter wonderland. Nearly a foot of snow had fallen overnight. While pretty, it promised tough underfoot conditions. I took my time over breakfast, and eventually left the bothy at 08.20am, and set off into the whiteness on another days adventure.And so, day two began, with a plod through soft snow, in a silent wonderland that was transformed from the previous day. All paths and tracks, were now invisible. Leacach bothy is at 450mtrs, and the first target of the day was Stob Bán, at 977mtrs. From what I'd seen the previous evening, this was a shapely mountain, with a fairly steep descent to a bealach, before a steady rise to Stob Choire Claurigh(1177mtrs), the highest point on the Grey Corries. With so much fresh snow, I decided to assess what conditions were like at the top of Stob Ban, before I would commit to the descent to the bealach. I was soon engulfed in the cloud, and the ascent had to be accomplished by the use of compass and GPS. When you are alone, it is vital that you are proficient at their use, and success brings confidence, and a sense of accomplishment. "White out" conditions are hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced them, but at times, it's almost like walking blind. You find yourself kicking the snow in front of you so as to try and see if the ground is level. You could literally have a dent or a cliff a step ahead and you wouldn't know it. It is scary stuff, and very careful examination of the map,and good use of the GPS are essential. Its slow going, but the map didn't show any crags and the ground was fairly safe. Eventually, I reached the summit, and after a quick assessment of the descent slope, I decided that it was good to go. A quick drop of 150mtrs and I emerged under the cloud. The day seemed to be improving, and I was hopeful for some views for the remainder of the day.

Binnean Mor

The near 400mtrs climb, to the summit Stob Choire Claurigh, was tough going with the heavy bag, and deep soft snow. I persevered however, and the ever lifting cloud kept teasing me with intermittent views, and the promise of a possible clear day. Eventually, when I did reach the top, the promised clearance did arrive, and I was treated to wonderful views down to Rannoch Moor and across to the Essians. The mist clung to the ridge however, but it did clear enough for me to see that the fresh snow had formed into a narrow snow arret, and that the crossing would not be boring. After a bite to eat I set off on the two mile traverse to Stob Choire an Laoigh(1116mtrs). As promised, the ridge was always narrow, and as it was occasionally corniced, it necessitated frequent crossing from one side to the other to avoid them. The going was very tough, and I was sometimes reduced to wading above the waist, to try to get through the drifts. The cloud stubbornly shrouded the ridge all day, and there were no more views to be had. Eventually the bealach under Stob Choire an Laoigh was reached, and with careful navigation the top found. The southeast ridge led easily down, and I was soon under the cloud, and enjoying expansive views, across to the Mamores and left to Rannoch moor. My target for the evening was Meanach bothy. This meant that I still had 3 miles to walk. When I reached the lower ground, the going turned out to be torture, as it was a continuous succession of peat hags and bog holes. Taking into account the constantly serpentine progress, I wouldn't be surprised if the 3 miles ended up closer to 4. It was gone 6pm when I arrived, and I was very tired when I entered the very basic bothie. I quickly got myself changed and organized in the remaining light, and soon had my stove going for dinner. The sky had by now cleared completely, and a hard frost had set in. Later, it was wonderful to stand outside in the darkness, and no matter what direction you looked, there was not a light to be seen. The sense of isolation and wilderness was wonderful. In the bothy, there was the remains of an old rucksack, and a grotty, torn, sleeping bag. These I burned in the open fire, and the heat generated was considerable. I was also able to dry, somewhat, my ice encrusted pants and boots.

I emerged the following morning after a decent nights rest to a flawless winter landscape. As expected temperatures had plummeted in the night and I would estimate that it was around -15 at 7am. The nearby river had frozen and the snow surface had turned crystalline. I had originally intended to climb Aonach Beg and Mor and cross to Carn Mor Dearg and on to Ben Nevis. This would have been a huge day and with the underfoot conditions I decided to head instead to Binnean Beg and Binnean Mor and descend to Kinlochleven over Na Gruachaichean. Three munros with approximately 1200mtrs of climbing is not to be sniffed at so it seemed a reasonable alternative. It also had the advantage of shortening the distance I would have to walk across the bog considerably. As I was crossing the wettest bits I was sinking through the insulating snow into water. This froze almost immediately on the boot when it was lifted. Very soon I would have to hack at the boot with my axe to dislodge the ice. The going was therefore difficult and it took until I was at about 550mtrs on the slopes of Binnean Beg before the ground improved. I soon came to a nice snowslope of about 40degrees which was nice and firm and allowed rapid(ish) progress to the 943mtrs summit.

 The views in all directions were stupendous. Alpine scenery to rival anywhere was mine to savour and this I did at leisure. Ever onwards and the 200mtr descent to the bealach meant that there was a full 400mtrs of climbing to the top of Binnean Mor(1130mtrs). A shapely mountain, the ascent was always interesting and the ever expanding vistas spurred one on. On reaching the summit I didn't dally as some cloud was coming in from the west and threatening to envelop me in mist again. I headed straight away for Na Gruagaichean(1056mtrs) along a narrow but not difficult ridge. The two kilometres soon passed and the cloud stayed at bay. After a short rest I made the long descent to sea level and civilization and arrived in Kinlochleven at 4.30pm. The first time I saw people since 8am Tuesday morning. At this stage I was very tired and I resolved to go to Fort William and stay a couple of nights in a b&b. So I thumbed to Ballachulish and caught a bus to town. I found a nice b&b in the west end and after a quick supper I was under the covers before 8pm.



Towards Ben Nevis from Aonach Beag

After a full Scottish fry at 7am the following day I emerged with my now light bag into a sunny, frosty winter morning. A short walk to the bus stop and I caught the 7.40 bus to the Nevis Range ski station under Aonach Mor. I was planning a nice leisurely day and a traverse of Aonach Mor and Beg with a descent to the Steall waterfall was the route. So the first gondola of the morning deposited me at 650mtrs and I enjoyed a beautiful day in windless sunshine crossing the broad gentle slopes. It was nice on the ascent of Aonach Mor not to have to break trail and i followed a well used trail to the top. From the summit(1221mtrs) I headed across the gentle slopes to Aonach Beg(1234mtrs). Remarkably I had both mountains to myself and the summit of Aonach Beg was pristine unbroken snow. The view across to Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis were amazing and the whole experience was truly alpine. The descent to the falls was gentle and the use of extensive snow fields made for rapid progress. I noticed that I was sunburnt. It was the middle of February for gods sake. On reaching the bottom I enjoyed the walk out the Nevis Gorge. After another couple of kilometers I got a lift into town thus saving me a further 5K walk. Another great day.

Looking up at Tower Ridge

Ice climbers near the CIC hut

Down to the great tower

View down No3 gully



The CMD arret

Ben Nevis and the CMD arret

The plan for Saturday Feb 20th was to climb Ben Nevis. I had decided to climb No3 gully and continue to Carn Mor Dearg via the CMD arrete. I emerged after breakfast to another stunning day. Off to the bus stop to get a bus to the Nevis distillery where the trail begins. There didn't seem to be a Saturday service so I set off to walk the 4K to the trailhead. I hadn't gone far when I was passed by the very bus I was looking for. So after a long walk I was eventually making progress on the track towards the CIC hut. The Ben was looking magnificent. The extensive cliffs covered in snow and fat ice falls everywhere in evidence. as was to be expected there were lots of parties about. Climbers could be seen on Tower Ridge and not far from the hut two magnificent icefalls were seeing some action. Suitably booted and suited I headed on up to Coire na Ciste. This amphitheatre offers stunning scenery in every direction. The variety of climbs that can be undertaken from here is bewildering. It's easy to see why climbers come from far and wide to scale this great mountain.

 No 3 gully is a straight forward grade 1 snow climb. There was a lot of deep soft snow, but previous traffic made going fairly easy. when I reached the gully proper I found that I was the first to venture in since the snowfall so once again I had to break trail. I was a bit concerned about avalanche but the surface was just powder and hadn't formed a slab that might go in unison. The gradient is about 45 degrees until you reach the exit. This can vary considerably and this time the left exit was the easier but was still about 20mtrs of 60degree slope. This was unfortunately crusty with crud underneath and didn't inspire great confidence. I wouldn't have minded a my second axe and I was happy when I emerged onto the plateau. The top of Ben Nevis can be a savage place but today it was a benign paradise. The roof of Britain on this day offered uninterrupted views in all directions. The view down Tower Ridge was beautiful and I wished I had been on it. After a bite to eat at the summit(1334mtrs) I headed on down the slope to the CMD arret. In these conditions was a joy and was like an easy alpine route. Quite busy as you would expect but everyone was in a good mood on this glorious day. Carn Mor Dearg(1220mtrs) soon passed and the easy slopes made for a quick descent. This time I got the bus back to town at the end of another memorable day.


Cliffs on Stob Ban the Mamores

My final day on the mountains I had planned to do Sgurr a Mhaim and the Devils Ridge to Mullach nan Coirean in a neat horseshoe walk from the lower falls in Glen Nevis. However after a leisurely start when I was on the trail I discovered I had forgotten my crampons. This ruled out the Devils Ridge so I opted instead to go in the valley under Stob Ban(999mtrs) to a bealach and climb Stob Ban and then continue with the horseshoe from there. The going was easy and height was gradually gained. The route up Stob Ban was like the steps of a stairs and the loss of crampons was no disadvantage. Yet again the day was stunning. The gentle ridge to Mullach nan Coirean(939mtrs) soon passed. I enjoyed a leisurely lunch and reflected on what was a great week. The gentle ridge back to the glen was a joy and the trusty thumb worked again and I was back in town in good time. So ended a wonderful trip on the mountains. One final treat lay in store. The train journey the following morning to Glasgow was stupendous and must be described as one of the most beautiful in the world. Do it if you can.
 Until the next time.