Swello Posted November 21, 2023 Share Posted November 21, 2023 (edited) Been doing plenty of walking the last couple of months but the weather has been so shite every time I've been out, I've not had much worth sticking on here. At the weekend I decided to bite the bullet and head along to the end of Loch Arkaig on Scotland's worst road to clean up the remaining hills I have to do in there so that I don't ever have to do it again. The forecast was again looking garbage so I was quite surprised by how nice it was at Loch Laggan on the way up on Friday - stopped for lunch there in fact. I had decided to start with (the Lochaber) Beinn Bhan, which is a half day walk that I wouldn't make a 4 hour drive to do - so doing it on the way past was a good idea. I started in thick mist and had no expectations until I started to see a hazy sun and a bit of blue sky, and then I knew what I was in for - some bonus cloud inversion views of snow capped Ben Nevis and the surrounding mountains. Fun stuff over, I braved the road from hell - in the dark and in the mist - and was relieved to eventually make it to the middle of nowhere road end at Strathan. Next morning, I headed out to climb Sgurr Mhurlagain and Froach Bheinn. It was freezing, rainy and misty - and as it's November, every step was in a bog. Still weirdly enjoyed it though despite the no views above 400m. Tourist brochure would call it atmospheric I guess. (It's impressive that every walk on this signpost is an absolute b*****d, don't do them. Anyone going this way to Morar should be locked up for their own safety) By the time I got back, every bit of gear and clothing I had was completely soaked and only the idea of having to come back this way had me up and away again the next morning to climb Sgùrr Cos na Breachd-laoidh, the last mountain of any size I still had to climb round here. More rain, more cloud - I spent most of the walk micro-navigating and after hours in the clag, it was re-assuring to find that I was on exactly the right line to drop into the back garden of the deserted Glendessary Lodge (was under construction when I last walked past years ago) and the way out to the road end. Job done, won't be back Summit photo sample (of Sgùrr Cos na Breachd-laoidh) that's pretty much identical to every one I've been on for the past 2-3 months: Edited April 29 by Swello 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arab_joe Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 Two thumbs up from me, @Swello - those photographs are absolutely stunning (likely more so as I am currently sat in the middle of the ugliest city on earth...). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florentine_Pogen Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 4 hours ago, arab_joe said: Two thumbs up from me, @Swello - those photographs are absolutely stunning (likely more so as I am currently sat in the middle of the ugliest city on earth counting the poop tankers to pass the time...). FTFY. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted December 7, 2023 Share Posted December 7, 2023 (edited) I'd like to declare the winter walking season open. Using a bit of end of year flexi time and the need for something to make up for the inevitable defeat at Victoria Park, I decided to do a couple of shorter walks on the way up and down to Dingwall. The forecast was for decent but baltic weather, which is a vast improvement from my luck recently and a bit of snow always makes duller hills a lot more interesting. Meall na Leitreach (and the Drumochter hills in general) are on no-one's must do list but after walking through a cloud layer, I got out into the sun and the visibility was brilliant - this is the geographic centre of Scotland, so the views are great on a day like this. The hill was surprisingly icy and so I used spikes (but not crampons) all the way down to avoid the cartoon fall I had on the way up. Nice quick walk done, it was off to Victoria Park <scene deleted> Next morning was even colder (-10 on the car temp reading when I arrived in Dalwhinnie) but was nice again. I had decided to do a short version of the The Fara as I didn't have time for the full ridge. Network Rail have still locked the normal level crossing at the station, so I parked up next to an underpass at the other end of the village. Loch Ericht was looking great in the early morning light - I could see Ben Alder in the distance and it reminded me that I need to do that again sometime soon - one of the best bits of backpacking you can do in Scotland IMO. Steep but short climb had me up at the summit pretty quickly - visibility great again today. Nice to see the winter back - hope we get some decent snow this year as I'm in the mood for some big winter mountain days if we're lucky... Edited April 29 by Swello 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al B Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Alright folks! Apologies for chucking a charity thing in here, absolutely no pressure to donate at all (although please do if you'd like to and are able to!), but thought it would be of interest to the good people of this thread. Tomorrow me and my mate kick off our hike of the Cape Wrath Trail which has been the best part of a year in the planning. For anyone who isn't familiar with it, it's approx 380km of unmarked wilderness from Fort William to the Cape Wrath Lighthouse which is the most North-Westerley point in mainland Scotland. It's going to be fully self-sustaining with the exception of a full day off in Ullapool near enough halfway, with just what we can carry on our backs, and sleeping in our tents or available bothys. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon so it doesn;t leave much time for anyone asking questions or discussing, and for the most part the full hike is off-grid, but I'll pop on when I can before I go, and come back on afterwards to give a full run-down for anyone who's interested. With regards to the charity side, my best mate's dad passed away of cancer a couple of weeks ago, and his funeral is this Friday. When I realised I wasn't going to be able to go I decided to dedicate the hike to him, and see if I can raise a few pounds for Strathcarron Hospice, who provide pallative care for those navigating the final leg of their own journey. A really special place that's fully reliant on donations. Link is below for anyone that would like to make a small donation, but as I say no pressure at all, there's lots of charity things that are close to people and we can;t give to them all. https://www.justgiving.com/page/alan-bone-1711537956667?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Falan-bone-1711537956667&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 1 hour ago, Al B said: Alright folks! Apologies for chucking a charity thing in here, absolutely no pressure to donate at all (although please do if you'd like to and are able to!), but thought it would be of interest to the good people of this thread. Tomorrow me and my mate kick off our hike of the Cape Wrath Trail which has been the best part of a year in the planning. For anyone who isn't familiar with it, it's approx 380km of unmarked wilderness from Fort William to the Cape Wrath Lighthouse which is the most North-Westerley point in mainland Scotland. It's going to be fully self-sustaining with the exception of a full day off in Ullapool near enough halfway, with just what we can carry on our backs, and sleeping in our tents or available bothys. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon so it doesn;t leave much time for anyone asking questions or discussing, and for the most part the full hike is off-grid, but I'll pop on when I can before I go, and come back on afterwards to give a full run-down for anyone who's interested. With regards to the charity side, my best mate's dad passed away of cancer a couple of weeks ago, and his funeral is this Friday. When I realised I wasn't going to be able to go I decided to dedicate the hike to him, and see if I can raise a few pounds for Strathcarron Hospice, who provide pallative care for those navigating the final leg of their own journey. A really special place that's fully reliant on donations. Link is below for anyone that would like to make a small donation, but as I say no pressure at all, there's lots of charity things that are close to people and we can;t give to them all. https://www.justgiving.com/page/alan-bone-1711537956667?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Falan-bone-1711537956667&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share Good luck on your CWT walk - I did it about 15 years back and it was genuinely one of the best things I've done in my life. I was actually quite sad to reach Cape Wrath - I could have kept going as I was enjoying it so much. Looking forward to seeing the pics on here in a couple of weeks Over and above the actual walking part - It's hard work keeping yourself and your gear in good nick for that length of time in the conditions you're likely to experience - so make sure you use any good weather windows to dry/air stuff (especially tents and sleeping bags) and get stuff re-organised as doing stuff in the rain makes life a lot harder. It might seem obvious but take *really* good care of your feet each night (it's probably too late but this stuff is an actual miracle for that purpose - one of the best 75g you could carry) because small problems can escalate with daily punishment. DM me if there is any help/advice I can give at this late stage.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al B Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 10 minutes ago, Swello said: Good luck on your CWT walk - I did it about 15 years back and it was genuinely one of the best things I've done in my life. I was actually quite sad to reach Cape Wrath - I could have kept going as I was enjoying it so much. Looking forward to seeing the pics on here in a couple of weeks Over and above the actual walking part - It's hard work keeping yourself and your gear in good nick for that length of time in the conditions you're likely to experience - so make sure you use any good weather windows to dry/air stuff (especially tents and sleeping bags) and get stuff re-organised as doing stuff in the rain makes life a lot harder. It might seem obvious but take *really* good care of your feet each night (it's probably too late but this stuff is an actual miracle for that purpose - one of the best 75g you could carry) because small problems can escalate with daily punishment. DM me if there is any help/advice I can give at this late stage.... Yeah I've seen/heard stories of people getting quite emotional as the approach the lighthouse, one of those trails that's long enough where you get used to a certain way of going about your day, and then don't want it to end. We're both pretty experienced in terms of long distance, multi-dayers and hiking in general. Amongst other LD trails I've done the WHW 8 times with my record being 3 and a half days, and my mate is very close to ticking off his full munro card, so thankfully we've managed to learn a lot over the years (mostly by getting it wrong the first time....the way I'm sure most of us learn! ), and you're absolutely spot on....how you treat your feet will make or break any trip! We've both been lucky enough to have new packs made for us in our own custom colours by the guys down at Atom just for this trip, so apart from a few test hikes this will be their first major outing! It's honestly hard to believe how light they are! We've got a full day off in Ullapool so that's going to be pretty valuable, as long as we don't spend the whole day in the pub . Oh, and we also always hike in kilts 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 (edited) There was a decent weather forecast for Easter Sunday - so I headed north for a long overdue visit back to Fisherfield. Given that the hills I wanted to do involved a monster walk in - I decided to cheat by using the packraft to cross Loch Maree and turn this into an achievable (but still epic) day walk. The conditions were excellent as I set off with the sun appearing behind Slioch. Crossing done - I stashed the packrafting gear under some tree roots on the shore, got my boots on and headed off past Letterewe and into the hills, where the views went from "nice" to "fucking amazing" pretty quickly Fisherfield is one of the most remote parts of the country and it contains (a) my favourite wild camping spot, at the causeway between the Fionn and Dubh Lochs and (b) one of my top 3 mountains in A'Mhaigdean - so to suddenly see these places from a new angle and only a few hours after setting off was a total treat for me. Any walk where from one spot (the mountain called Meall Mheinnidh, which was the middle of three I climbed) where you can see Slioch, An Teallach, Liathach, A' Mhaighdean and the entire length of the Outer Hebrides has to qualify as one of the best viewpoints I've ever been on. Three hills done, all that was left was a wander back to the lochside and a paddle back to the car park where I'd started and to go and get some much needed food. To get a summer epic type of walk done in March (with no midges or ked) was brilliant - top day out. Edited April 2 by Swello 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 5 hours ago, Swello said: There was a decent weather forecast for Easter Sunday - so I headed north for a long overdue visit back to Fisherfield. Given that the hills I wanted to do involved a monster walk in - I decided to cheat by using the packraft to cross Loch Maree and turn this into an achievable (but still epic) day walk. The conditions were excellent as I set off with the sun appearing behind Slioch. Crossing done - I stashed the packrafting gear under some tree roots on the shore, got my boots on and headed off past Letterewe and into the hills, where the views went from "nice" to "fucking amazing" pretty quickly Fisherfield is one of the most remote parts of the country and it contains (a) my favourite wild camping spot, at the causeway between the Fionn and Dubh Lochs and (b) one of my top 3 mountains in A'Mhaigdean - so to suddenly see these places from a new angle and only a few hours after setting off was a total treat for me. Any walk where from one spot (the mountain called Meall Mheinnidh, which was the middle of three I climbed) where you can see Slioch, An Teallach, Liathach, A' Mhaighdean and the entire length of the Outer Hebrides has to qualify as one of the best viewpoints I've ever been on. Three hills done, all that was left was a wander back to the lochside and a paddle back to the car park where I'd started and to go and get some much needed food. To get a summer epic type of walk done in March (with no midges or ked) was brilliant - top day out. Looks amazing. Despite how amazing the summit of A' Mhaighdean is I think the the descent to Càrnmòr might be better. The upper part is almost Tyrolean and the you can barely comprehend the scale of Coire Breac. Yes I am going to follow that with the Glas Maol circuit. Enjoying the last knockings of winter in Glenshee and some stunning views over to the main Cairngorms 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 2 hours ago, invergowrie arab said: Looks amazing. Despite how amazing the summit of A' Mhaighdean is I think the the descent to Càrnmòr might be better. The upper part is almost Tyrolean and the you can barely comprehend the scale of Coire Breac. Totally agree - the first time I got there not long after I'd started out hillwalking (after the big hike in from Poolewe), I couldn't believe the place and I still feel the same - there aren't really many places in Scotland that compare to it. On the way out, I was talking to a group doing their DoE Gold expedition who were planning to camp there, I was massively jealous... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 (edited) The much maligned Beinn Bhuidhe today along the "ugly" new access track. Have to say I throughly enjoyed it. The track has bedded in, at least as far the hilltrack and i would believe you if you told me it had been there 50 years. Had summit views of mountains, lochs and islands so absolutely nothing to complain about. Edited April 27 by invergowrie arab 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanhourjoe Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 2 weeks of work since last week. And made a somewhat adventurous start on Monday. Climbing stob coire sgriodain and chno dearg. Stopping off at the little lochan in between to sit and have a couple of cans. Camped in the valley on the other side, before taking on being na lap in the morning. A nice walk along loch Ossian, before getting the train back to the other end at corrour. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunning1874 Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond) today, my first Munro in going on two years so took a lot out of me but was tremendous. No photo could do it justice but the view from the summit was outrageous, seeing as far south as Ailsa Craig with every island in the Firth of Clyde visible, Jura to the west, Mull to the north west and dozens of other peaks to the north and east as well. Definitely won't be letting myself go so long without a proper hike again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 (edited) On 27/04/2024 at 22:20, Juanhourjoe said: 2 weeks of work since last week. And made a somewhat adventurous start on Monday. Climbing stob coire sgriodain and chno dearg. Stopping off at the little lochan in between to sit and have a couple of cans. Camped in the valley on the other side, before taking on being na lap in the morning. A nice walk along loch Ossian, before getting the train back to the other end at corrour. I had a minor freak out coming upon that loch in the thickest mist I have ever walked in, I was almost in the loch before I noticed it. The wind was so strong that there were huge waves coming towards the shore and because of the mist you couldn't see the other side which gave the impression the water went on forever. I thought I had somehow come to the edge of the world half way up a munro. I have a strong suspicion I didn't actually summit SCS but I won't be rushing back. Edited April 28 by invergowrie arab 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 On 27/04/2024 at 22:20, Juanhourjoe said: 2 weeks of work since last week. And made a somewhat adventurous start on Monday. Climbing stob coire sgriodain and chno dearg. Stopping off at the little lochan in between to sit and have a couple of cans. Camped in the valley on the other side, before taking on being na lap in the morning. A nice walk along loch Ossian, before getting the train back to the other end at corrour. Love this bit of the country - having the stations at Rannoch and Corrour masks how remote it really is. Currently hatching a plan to head back in there in fact... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juanhourjoe Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Another one for this week. An teallach. Something a bit different, with it's series of large jaggy stacks. Might look a bit scary to some. But I now find rocks a lot nicer to walk on than the boggy sections around a lot of other mountains. For anyone trying it in future. Avoid the rhododendron forest, as a way in/out to the road. Sunk in to some very deep mud, and lost a shoe at the end. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Belt Caley Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 We were staying in Arrochar at the weekend for my dads 60th and 4 of us went up the Cobbler. I’d already done Narnain and Ime so nice to check off the last hill in that wee area. I did thread the needle at the top but was utterly shiting myself On the way back on the path we passed two lassies who genuinely wouldn’t have looked out of place in a nightclub. Wanted to tell them to head back the way they came but didn’t want to get abuse. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 The climb back off is worse than the way up 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Belt Caley Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 4 hours ago, Swello said: The climb back off is worse than the way up Definitely, was double and triple checking my footing on the way down 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 There now follows a self indulgent series of posts documenting my holidays over the past week or so. First off the roller coaster drive our to Loch Arkaig a week or so back to get the three Glen Dessary munros. Early signs weren't good with a yellow warning for thunder and lightning but given it was for the whole west coast we took the chance. A brutal 2 and a half hour grassy ascent eventually got us in top of Sgùrr nan Coireachain where we could get some 4g which told us thunder, lightning and downpours were indeed imminent so we had no choice but to bail out and good job we did as no sooner as we got back to the Glen it all kicked off and we had a mad dash to A' Chuil bothy to wait it out. Getting towards the end of the munro round means you stop thinking in terms of munros and start thinking in terms of how many walks do I have left. So, despite bagging one I'm no closer to the end as I'll need to go back for the other two. Beats working though 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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