Ben More (Isle of Mull) the long route with the tasty ridge !

It was billed as probably the most difficult walk I'd ever done and it didn't disappoint on that score.  Before we even got near the flanks of Ben More we'd done a days walk and been up and down 2 peaks but never the less it was a hill that tested and challenged as only those beautiful mountains can........

Up early we left Tobermory and headed down to Grulin where we'd start the walk up to Ben More.  We could see the summit, as we could for most of the day, but knew that we wouldn't be anywhere near its top until later in the afternoon.

 Car parked and bags packed we headed up the path from Dhisaig that would take in Ben More via A'Chioch and Beinn Fhada.

The first part of the walk took us through some boggy ground as we rose higher and higher up the side of the first peak (nothing tickable just a vehicle for getting you closer to the ridge of Ben More)

There were more false summits on this hill than I've ever known and it was a hard and steep slog up but the views made up for all that.  Clear blue skies, a bit of haze but full sun.  Perfect.

It was almost lunchtime when we reached what seemed to be the top so we stopped for a snack break.

The next section would take us up the Graham of Beinn Fhada before heading right towards the steep and rocky slope that we would have to get up and over before we even got to the tasty ridgy bit.  By this point I really didnt think I had the fitness in me to get up and over this beastie and it was messing with my head.  Of course I could do it, only the previous weekend I'd been up and over Tryfan and the Glyders in Wales and they were just as steep in parts.  I'll put it down to having an off day but kept putting one foot in front of the other and made steady progress.

We did infact make quite good progress.  There was a fear that this long walk would take longer and we'd be out as the sun went down but we were motoring on and up and over the last peak before Ben More we were presented with a glorious sight.  A rocky precipitous ridge that looked brilliant.  Scrambly bits and ledgy bits and it all seemed incredibly tempting.  There were several bypass routes below the top ridge and we opted for one of those as after feeling a bit dizzy earlier (probably from the sun) I didnt want to risk it.  I'll be back though.

Like all good ridges it was over all too quick and the final "very" steep bit was the last bit of ascent for the day.  This was airy, rocky and very exposed and a delight to climb through.

This route took us right to the summit and some suprised faces from people (with handbags !!!) who'd come up the "tourist" route and wondered where on earth we'd appeared from.

The summit was flat and rocky and we enjoyed a cadbury's cream egg at the top as it was Easter Sunday. A nice man from Staffordshire took our picture and we made our way over the plateau to the route down.

 After an hour or so of boring shale zig zags we followed a stream as it flowed down the side of the hill remarking at its little pretty waterfalls and having a bit of a splash in the water as the afternoon sun bore down.

It was a right turn then, off the path to take us round the base of the mountain taking us back closer to where the car was parked.  It was a slow and laborious tramp through bog and grass but before long we'd reached the road and was on the final march back to the car.

Faces sunburned and extra water taken on board we had had a great day.  As usual it was full of challenges, scardy bits, funny bits, good bits, bad bits but most of all another munro was conquered!

Beinn Narnain and the swirling mist !

Up in Scotland for the weekend meant we got a chance to spend a Saturday conquering a few more Munros and Arrochar was our destination with Beinn Narnain, Beinnn Ime & if we had time, the Cobber in mind.

Arriving in the car park at Loch Long early doors it was a tad claggy but the forecast said it would come good later on in day.  So we set off up the path, through the forest, leaving the village of Arrochar behind.

 The mist was still clinging to the day and the first part of the ascent was pretty steep and pretty rocky which suits me to a tee.

 It wasn't long before we left the rocks and grass and ventured into a new land of snow and ice.   Its always exciting to be in and amongst the snow on a mountain because it sharpens your mind and suddenly there are many more things to be taken into consideration, things that could potentially save your life.

Today the main problem that we encountered was the lack of visibility.  Cornices, ledges and snow fields are tricky enough when you can see what you're dealing with but without that then its a whole other ball game.

We took our time and kept checking our bearings to make sure we were on the right path.  Maps and compass's are virtually redundant when you cant establish any geographical features around you to plot yourself but through a series of deduction and common sense we finally made our way to the top.  

It was here we encountered Callum,  a young lad from Glasgow who like ourselves, hadnt anticipated such a white out and asked if he could walk with us up and over the mountain and down the other side.  So now we were 3.

We finally made it to the top with Callum (our new wee friend from Glasgow) taking our picture, thanks Callum.

Time to get off the mountain and by all accounts the descent was much gentler than the ascent and that was music to my ears.  Owing to the time and the energy used in getting to the summit we decided that perhaps we'd give Beinn Ime a miss, it would still be there another day.

So off to find the path down.   Where was it?  Right? Left? The map showed it straight ahead but the mist and fog made it impossible to determine what exactly was straight ahead.  Before long and after consulting with the compass we had a few attempts at locating the path we heard voices and the voices seemed to be getting closer which meant possibly they could be ascending on the path and if that was the case we could use their footprints to descend. 

Luckily that was the case and before long we were heading downwards on a lovely gentle sweeping path.   Down through the snow line, into bog city and just as we reached the end of the path the sun came out and my prediction of having my sunglasses on at least during part of the day came true........surprisingly.

An eventful day but an incredible achieving.  Pushing ourselves and our limits and skating that fine line between utter fear and absolute enjoyment.......thrilling stuff ! 

Bens, beasties and breath-taking views….08.06.13

Here in Gods country when the sun shines you make the most of it and making the most of it we did.  Up early after a good nights sleep we were soon parked by the shores of Loch Earn and could see Ben Vorlich behind us.  It did look impressive and the walk in was lovely by the burn and then a fairly good path up the lower flanks of the mountain.

The weather was perfect.  Warm sun and not a breeze to be felt and it wasn’t long before layers were coming off.  Views opening up, as usual behind us took our eye further and further as the higher we got the more peaks that became visible.  Little silly moment as I remarked that the clouds seemed to be in 3D, d'oh!

As with all walks where you are consuming water in great amounts you do get caught short and on an exposed hillside it isn’t really the best environment to have a quick pit stop.  The only thing I’ll say about this incident is that having bits of dried grass where it doesn’t belong isn’t very comfortable  at all but after the initial shock it provided a good giggle which lasted well into the day.

We met 2 other walkers on the hillside that day from Fife who were, like us, taking advantage of the brilliant weather and getting out and about.   Like us their plan was to get to the top of Ben Vorlich then tackle the beastie that is Stuc a Chroin.

The path was reasonable, rocks winding in a zig zag fashion up the side of the Ben and with several false summits to tempt us.  Nothing prepared me for the final path up to the summit.   It was long, steep and looked incredibly inviting (actually it doesn't look that steep on the picture, but it was lol).  At the top was the trig point but there was still 30 mins + of hard work before that was reached.  Heads down and onwards and upwards.  This was turning out to be one of the most enjoyable days ever.

The summit was a surprise in many ways.  Firstly the views were tremendous, breath-taking.  Secondly we could see our next target for the day Stuc a Chroin and it looked amazing and thirdly there were millions of midges, swarms of the little blighters all over the place.  I’m sure as we stopped for first lunch a few were consumed with my sandwiches.  Horrid little bity things invading our space…….welcome to Scotland! 

Lunch had, including a wee bit of tablet bought in Callendar this morning we headed off down Ben Vorlich in the direction of Stuc a Chroin.  The closer we got to this impressive piece of rock the more exciting the prospect became.  I really do enjoy being amongst the rocks and having a bit of a scramble in my day.  I would scramble all day long if it was available but with this bad boy there was the challenge of potentially choosing our own route up.  This reminded me of the day on Tryfan in Wales where there wasn’t really a recognised path but boulder after boulder to pick your way through.  This seemed similar and that was indeed an exciting prospect.

We followed the path round the base and even contemplated leaving our bags at the bottom to collect on the way up but we’d gone past the point where that would have been an option.  Skirting our way around the hill we continued to follow a path, eyes focussed upwards to see if we could see somewhere that would lead us up the hill.  It looked both daunting and thrilling at the same time and one of the reasons why I love this pastime so very much.  Your mind is saying no you cant do that and then in the next second its silently giggling with glee knowing you can and you have before and you will again.

The path continued round the boulders and took us round to the south face of the mountain.  Here we could see a gully carved out of the side of the hill which was steep but filled with lovely lovely rocks and that seemed to be the way upwards.  There were others on the path and a crag rat who’d passed us not 10 mins ago we could see was more than half way up.  Oh to have the fitness of youth!

Making our way through the boulders I was in my element, enjoying every moment and not giving a hoot about steepness or the way ahead.  Just picking our way through the rocks and moving upwards.  Behind us was Ben Vorlich looking very impressive indeed and it was funny to think that only an hour ago we were up there.  Amazing!

It was a great walk up through the gully in between the boulders and through the rocks and it seemed like no time at all we were up on the ridge.   Over to the left was the summit and it was a nice walk across the rocky plateau to the summit cairn.  No flies on this summit, probably because it was less grassy and there was a nice wee breeze forming.   One of my most memorable moments on the side of a hill was here, as we stopped for second lunch, on the side of Stuc a Chroin with Ben Vorlich towering in front of us.  2 Bens, 2 beautiful Bens and as I lay there on the grass, eating the rest of our sandwiches, grapes and tablet I felt incredibly content.   What an amazing day.

All good things must come to an end the saying goes and we had to get up and start our descent off the mountain.  It was mid afternoon by this point and the sky was clouding over and the strong sun of the day was weakening.  A cool breeze was refreshing and we made our way down the path that skirted round the base of Ben Vorlich that would lead us back to the initial path of the morning.  The first part of the path was fine and then suddenly we were on a horrid shaley descent.  Ankle turning stuff and I got the poles out to steady myself on the slippy scree.  Not a nice descent at all and I just took my time and made my way down the zig zaggy path.  Thankfully it didn’t last for long and we were down on the valley floor with only a slight incline back up and round to meet the path from this morning.

This path was filled with people coming down off the hill and it seemed to have been a day out for many, young, old, some with dogs, some walking in groups and some walking alone.  The wander down the hill was lovely until a slip caused me to fall forwards and bang my knee on the rocks.  I thought my camera was damaged, I thought I was damaged and for a moment I went into “woe is me mode”……that didn’t last long as Chris, concerned that I was hurt, snapped me right back into reality.   He’s good at that J.

The path continued downwards and my legs were starting to feel it.  A slight distraction was the black clouds looming to the left and we wondered, if after such a glorious day, we were in for a spot of rain.   True enough, as we entered the last few 100mtrs of the walk the heavens opened.  Running back to the car with legs that felt like lead we didn’t get too wet and had a moment to sit back and reflect on what was another truly amazing day.

Can’t wait to get back to Scotland ……..lets make it soon x

Buachaille Etive Beag - Stob Dubh

3rd munro of the week and the one we should have captured last Sunday when the wind was fierce, so today we'd tackle it and get that particular box ticked!

The weather wasn't brilliant.  Dry but low misty cloud meant we couldn't see the summit nor could we really see the path but we'd been up here before so knew where we were going.  It was remarkable the amount of snow that had disappeared in the week as the path was certainly more visible than it had been before.  Before long we were on the steep steps that would take us up to the plateau area where we'd had our windy lunch previously.

At the plateau area we stopped for a snack but could see neither summit right or left this time and remembered the strong winds of last week that hampered our walk.  No such winds this week but a dense mist that obscured any views that we may be party to.  The big Buachaille should have been right in front of us as we ate but it was just a white wall of mist........no likey!

We headed left up the path that would take us to the summit of Stob Dubh and I was quite excited at the prospect of a ridge before the summit.  I love ridges and any walks that include these make me giddy as a kipper.  Winter walking on ridges is a bit different as they usually mean ice and no recognised path so extra care had to be taken but just that visual of a sharp pointy ridge leaves me elated.

After a steep climb up the first part of the route to the top we could see a faint outline of the summit and ridge in the distance.  The cloud kept swirling in and out so that it was only visible for a moment or two at a time but onwards we went and soon enough we were over the ridge and heading to what we thought was the summit.  Was it the summit?  It had a cairn and seemed to be the highest point but then the cloud lifted and another pointy bit appeared ahead.  I didn't think this bit was as high but we ventured over there just in case it was the true summit.  God forbid we'd made it all the way up there and not actually stood on the summit.  Either way we had it covered.

A quick picnic stop at the top and we headed downwards again.  This was a bit tricky as it was a wee bitty icy and care had to be taken but I have to say at this point this was indeed my most favorite walk of the week.  3 munros and this being the 3rd really was 3rd time lucky.  I loved it, the walk, the ridge, the conditions with the only thing spoiling it was the lack of views.  Nothing but white on all sides.

It wasn't long before we were back at the plateau and thoughts turned to venturing back up the other peak, Stob Coire Raineach that we'd tackled the previous Sunday in the wind.  I didn't feel I had the energy for another peak today so instead we headed down from the plateau to the stepped rocky path but not before having a slide down a nice steep snowy section which was a lot of fun.

The steep rocky path downwards was hard going as per usual with the steps down being big steps for me but we kept a steady pace and even ran a little bit on the flattish sections.  Before long we were back at the car and this signified not only the end of our day's walk but the end of our week in Glencoe.  A week filled with triumphs and torture, laughter and silliness, good company and winter skills training, 3 munros and an ache to return as soon as possible.

What an amazing week and one I hope to repeat sometime soon!

Meall a' Bhuiridh a nightime caper in the darkness!

My second munro of the week and if I thought the first had its challenges then I was in for a treat as this one proved to push my limits to the point of no return.

The day started with a winter skills session on the hills below in and around the Glencoe Ski area and as the light started to fall we packed our stuff and headed up the steep and icy slope of the mountain.  It was around 4pm and darkness wasn't far away and we still had a few hours of walking to reach the summit.  I was tired, my legs were like jelly and the ice underfoot made me question every step but onwards and upwards we went.  The fading light on the surrounding mountains was spectacular and the first part of the walk up was spent looking backwards at the setting sun.

I can only say it was tough going.  Looking upwards into the prevailing darkness I could see the outline of what appeared to be a summit but knew that it was the first of a couple of false summits and in my heart of hearts I simply couldn't imagine how I was going to make it.  The rocks in the landscape were becoming few and far between and that meant traversing across and up the ice which with every footstep brought fear.  Even trying to use the skills we'd learned, kicking in footsteps and cutting the ice proved fruitless for me so I concentrated on following in Chris's footsteps but he was much further ahead than I was and in the darkness I just couldn't see.  Having my glasses would have helped but as per usual they were back in the car, so there I was, faltering about in the dark, on ice, trying to keep moving forward.

It was inevitable that I'd slip and slip I did.  Luckily I had my ice axe to hand and put into action something I'd learned on the course and it might not have been technically correct but I stopped the slip and forced myself upright again.  True to form I'd gone into negative mode and wittering about not being able to do it so Scot (course leader) came to my aid and talked me up the hill.  Thankfully there were more rocky bits to find a footing on and they were not as icy but seeing in the dark was a real issue for me now but onwards and upwards I went.

After about an hour of this tip-toeing round the rocks and ice I could see the summit ahead and the lights from the head torches of everyone else.  I felt a bit bad at them having to wait there for me but before long we were all together in the darkness feeling quite chuffed with ourselves that we'd made it.  Little did I know then but this was the highest I'd ever been before.  Snowdon was the highest peak I'd walked up and this was higher so hurrah for me!

At the summit the others left to head down to the top ski station and I stopped for a bite to eat and to get my head torch out.  Now I'm rubbish at remembering things but you'd think being on a night walk which was planned would mean that I'd have batteries in my head torch........wrong!  It lit for about 10 secs then died which didn't impress Scot at all.  Luckily he had a spare so all was good, phew!

Coming off the summit was a challenge as the path leading off to the top ski station was just one big slab of ice.  There was nothing more for it than to get on my backside and slide down.  This was still a tricky operation as it was a massive slab of ice and I had no directional control so it wasn't a fast slide down to the rock but a steady inch by inch slide in the right direction.  Finally upright again and I was finally on soft fluffy snow and met up with the others at the top ski station.  A quick drink and we were off again down the ski track which was 1 big long fluffy snow track to almost the bottom of the hill, bliss and double bliss......

The route down was heaven compared to the walk up.  There was no ambient light and the sky was filled to the brim with stars.  I've never seen so many stars in my life and it was wall to wall twinkling.  A beautiful sight that I'd remember for a long long time.

Back at the car park exhausted it was a quick pit stop to the pub and then back to our little log cabin for bed.  Muscles I never knew I had ached and it had been a long day.  10 hrs on the hills with the extra focus on walking up a mountain in the dark left me with no energy what so ever but elated at the achievement.

2 munro's down, would I get another in before the week was out........we'll see! 

Winter Skills in Glencoe

When you're out and about in the hills in winter time everyone knows it's sensible to not only have the right equipment but also to know how to use it safely and with practice.  So we booked ourselves on a 5 day winter skills course with S D Adventures (details below) to gain the necessary skills to keep us safe in the hills.

Day 1 - Monday - Unfortunately because of the high winds and horrid weather conditions we met the SD crew in the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe and decided to postpone the start of the course till tomorrow when the weather conditions would, hopefully, be better.  We met Scot, course leader and his trusty sidekick John (Frenchie) and Bob who would be taking the course with us.  Joining us tomorrow would be Scott and Steve making it 7 of us in all.  A nice group for the week.  We spent the morning discussing the course content and having a look at equipment and then just before lunchtime headed into Fort William for the afternoon as there were no outdoor activities we could do in this terrible weather.  In the evening we met in the Clachaig Inn where we were joined by Scott and Steve and the highlight of the night was winning the pub quiz....lots of laughs and a funny moment when Chris drew part of the route for tomorrow on the back of the quiz paper, priceless stuff!

Day 2 - We met at the Clachaig Inn in the morning and headed out to a parking area on the A82 to make our way into the Lost Valley where we'd spend the day with some basic winter skills training.  Quite a long walk in to find the "right" snow and finally we found an area where we could start to look at our footwork and try out some very basic ice axe arrests as well as avalanche awareness.  The weather wasn't brilliant and a mix of rain and snow was making the going tough and within the hour or so we had there on the side of the gully the snow was becoming very soft indeed.  I slid a few times and gave myself a bit of a fright and a helluva bruise on my leg but it was the last slip that left me upside down with my foot stuck in hole that gave me the worst fright.  Scot knew immediately that I hadn't had enough to eat and that my energy levels had slipped making me more vulnerable to little accidents.  This was the major lesson learned today.  I need to keep some chocolate in my pocket at all times........like I needed any excuse lol.

The day was rounded off with a lecture in the Clachaig Inn on safety in winter on the hills and it was a really good lecture, covering some of the stuff we'd learned during the day and some extra advice about equipment and clothing that proved quite valuable.

Day 3 -We met at the Glencoe Ski Resort area in the morning and had a cuppa there before heading out onto the mountain.  The weather was pretty fair today, hardly any wind and skies that seems to be clearing.  We ventured out on the bike track that would take us away from the footpath that followed underneath the chairlift to save us from those "weegies" and their antics or anything that fell from the chairlift, which happened frequently.  Further up the bike track there was an area of soft fresh snow that we'd use to start our basic training.  How to stop yourself from sliding was the first order of the day and Scot demonstrated a star fish like position where you dragged the snow with your hands and then raised your body to stop from sliding more and get yourself into a stable condition.  So it was slide down, use the technique and then climb back up again with a stop for a sandwich in between.  All good fun and an great exercise in confidence building on the side of the hill.

The next section took us up to the middle station and under the chairlift to a lovely patch of snow on the side of the hill.  More sliding down and practising the arrest techniques and more avalanche awareness work.  The sun had come out and the sky was blue in patches and it really was the most enjoyable afternoon sliding, stopping, flipping over forwards, backwards, ice axe in place and I definitely felt more comfortable in how to use it, should I ever need to.........famous last words eh!

As the sun was falling it was decided (as discussed previously in the week) that we'd head for the summit and do a bit of night navigation.  By this time it was after 4pm and there was still a couple of hours walking to get to the summit of Meall a'Bhuiridh which meant most of it would be done in the dark.  I'll post a separate blog entry about that little adventure and continue on with the winter skills antics here......

Day 4 - We're all still alive, hurrah! Today would be a summit day on the Winter Skills course but unfortunately I woke not feeling 100%.  I knew that being out on the hills all day wasn't going to be good for me and opted to stay at base for the day.  The boys all had an excellent day climbing Coire na Tuliach. Topping out on Stob Deag. Chris's first graded climb and no mean feat by all accounts.  The tales told when they returned made my toes curl and I was glad that I'd opted to stay put today, I'm not sure I could have coped with the ice and steepness but I'll get there one day for sure.

Day 5 - Our last day on the course and we were going to have a bit of a refresher on all the skills learned and headed back to the Glencoe ski resort area and for a bit of luxury took the chairlift up to the middle station.  Once there we headed back to the hillside we'd previously been on in the middle of the week and Frenchie took the boys to do some belay work and Scot took me over to a steeper icy area to work with me and my crampons.  Again it was a great afternoon honing the skills we'd learned and then we ventured down into an area (terrain trap) where there was a significant bank of snow to build a snow hole.  Much hilarity ensued with digging and furnishing our little snow bolt hole and it was a lovely way to round off an excellent week.

Back to the Glencoe ski resort cafe for a bit of a debrief and before we knew it we were back in the car park saying our goodbyes, much cuddles and exchanges of information and promises to keep in touch and forward pictures, more cuddles and we were off having spent the most amazing week learning a whole host of new skills.

Many thanks to Scot and SD Adventures for a great week and I look forward to the next time.

S D Adventures
Contact Scot Rodger for more information
EMAIL
mail@sdadventures.co.uk 
OR
spottydogadventures@live.co.uk
OR CALL
Scot Rodger
07791 545934