Hillwalking Thread

[Swello]

38 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

Yeah that's the one. My slight nervousness is that it looks like a lot of effort, faffing, tightrope walking, bog and waterfall traversing to even get to the stalkers path.

That's the main problem with that walk - the bridge is fun but can take ages if there is a group in front of you with each person stopping for a pic halfway across it (as has happened every time I've been there, including my group the first time )

It's a classic walk - so a good one for a blue sky day in any case, which I don't think is happening this weekend.

[Venti]

Might be a wee bit weird.

Do you guys hike on your own? Or is there like a group?

Wouldn't mind joining.

[Swello]

48 minutes ago, Venti said:

Might be a wee bit weird.

Do you guys hike on your own? Or is there like a group?

Wouldn't mind joining.

As far as I know - there hasn't been an organised walk via this thread (that I've been invited on anyway ) - so it's just folk doing their own thing.

[invergowrie arab]

6 hours ago, Venti said:

Might be a wee bit weird.

Do you guys hike on your own? Or is there like a group?

Wouldn't mind joining.

Walkhighlands do meet ups and they have a section of the forum where you can arrange to meet others.

I think @Benjamin_Nevis has done some 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

7 hours ago, Venti said:

Might be a wee bit weird.

Do you guys hike on your own? Or is there like a group?

Wouldn't mind joining.

 

31 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

Walkhighlands do meet ups and they have a section of the forum where you can arrange to meet others.

I think @Benjamin_Nevis has done some 

Yeah I regularly went to WalkHighlands meets from 2013 until about 2016ish. Covid obviously kiboshed them - I'm not sure if they have re-started or not. The site itself is free to join and there's a thread for meet ups etc. 

[invergowrie arab]

Got a bit caught out with the amount of snow still about with no ironwork on me (not that it would have done any good in knee deep slush) so binned the Grey Corries round and made do with Stob Bàn.

 

[Sugar_Army]

9 hours ago, invergowrie arab said:

Got a bit caught out with the amount of snow still about with no ironwork on me (not that it would have done any good in knee deep slush) so binned the Grey Corries round and made do with Stob Bàn.

 

Mrs SA is away with our club to Knoydart.  I stayed home to get the garden sorted before we go backpacking round Japan.

To say our day was different  is an understatement.  She was up the hills having a great time while I cut the grass, gave these an airing and watched the Motherwell game through my fingers.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

On 11/04/2023 at 15:33, invergowrie arab said:

Eg I was up Ben Lomond on Saturday via Ptarmigan and that took 5 hours which is about average but I was almost 10 hours for Sgurr Mhic Coinnich alone in windy sleety conditions.

 

What route did you take for Sgurr Mhic Coinnich? I had looked at adding it to the Sgurr Dubh Mor/Sgurr Alasdair route but the slabs from the intervening top are a climbing grade in any book i've seen, so we just dropped down off Alasdair. I did see the Steaming Boots guy found a way across to Collies Ledge from the Stone Shoot though. 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Anyway, most of my walks this year have been local stuff, I also signed up for the Clova Duathlon in a total brainfart moment which means I have to try and do some trail running. I was dreading this tbh as i absolutely detest road running, but running hills (or small parts of them) has been surprisingly excellent fun so far. Started last week with the traditional Mayar and Driesh route in 2:55, then yesterday up to Loch Wharral and down Loch Brandy and back along the road in 2:25. 

My other walks this year have been taking my bro-in-law out to do Tolmount and Tom Buidhe (good day) and Lochnagar and a pish hill beside it (awful pea souper). Doing Jock's Road again next week then 10 days in Skye and Kintail at the end of the month, which can't come quickly enough.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Benjamin_Nevis

[Swello]

1 hour ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

What route did you take for Sgurr Mhic Coinnich? I had looked at adding it to the Sgurr Dubh Mor/Sgurr Alasdair route but the slabs from the intervening top are a climbing grade in any book i've seen, so we just dropped down off Alasdair. I did see the Steaming Boots guy found a way across to Collies Ledge from the Stone Shoot though. 

We did Mhic Coinnich with the InnPin - I can't remember any huge problems linking those two but I never even thought of trying to link it with Alasdair as I honestly didn't know it was possible.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

4 hours ago, Swello said:

We did Mhic Coinnich with the InnPin - I can't remember any huge problems linking those two but I never even thought of trying to link it with Alasdair as I honestly didn't know it was possible.

Aye it can be done by going over the top of Sgurr Thearlaich, the tricky bit i think is the descent from that. One route is a Mod grade but involves dodgy slabs with huge exposure, the other is either a Severe or a V Diff. Both sound sound fucking terrifying and I won't be touching them with a 10 foot bargepole. We did the Dubh Mor route onto Alasdair via the chimney by the Sgumain bivi cave which was superb. SMcCh looked really close from the top of the stone shoot but the Cuillin traverse guidebook was sufficiently off-putting to sack it there and run down the shoot. 

The youTube guy Steaming Boots/WilkieMurray went down the shoot a bit then cut across to access Collie's ledge. Not sure I fancy that either. I think i'll just wait until i get a guide for the Pinn and add it on. 

[invergowrie arab]

16 hours ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

What route did you take for Sgurr Mhic Coinnich? I had looked at adding it to the Sgurr Dubh Mor/Sgurr Alasdair route but the slabs from the intervening top are a climbing grade in any book i've seen, so we just dropped down off Alasdair. I did see the Steaming Boots guy found a way across to Collies Ledge from the Stone Shoot though. 

Just up and down through the campsite, Coire Lagan and An Stac screes similar to WH route.

Was meant to add onto Inn Pin day but we ran out of time.

The Thearlaich Dubh Gap is meant to be the hardest part of the ridge so not something I'll be doing any time soon.

The only problem with the route was that the there and back meant that twice I had to do the clinging onto razor sharp ridge with head over a 2000 ft drop and feet trying to find holds on a sloping bar of soap.

Like everything Cuillin probably no issue in dry weather and nightmare fuel in wet and wind.

Edited April 16, 2023 by invergowrie arab

[Benjamin_Nevis]

On 17/04/2023 at 00:23, invergowrie arab said:

Just up and down through the campsite, Coire Lagan and An Stac screes similar to WH route.

Was meant to add onto Inn Pin day but we ran out of time.

The Thearlaich Dubh Gap is meant to be the hardest part of the ridge so not something I'll be doing any time soon.

The only problem with the route was that the there and back meant that twice I had to do the clinging onto razor sharp ridge with head over a 2000 ft drop and feet trying to find holds on a sloping bar of soap.

Like everything Cuillin probably no issue in dry weather and nightmare fuel in wet and wind.

Cheers

Aye we took the bypass route after Dubh Mor which was actually really enjoyable, via the Sgumain Bivi cave then the awkward chimney. Descending the shoot was pretty good fun but there's literally no force on earth that could possibly make me go up it. f**k that.  

Anyway, Jock's Road again yesterday as part of a countrywide charity event. I was asked to look after the folk on that section a while back, and was shitting it a bit at the prospect of getting 40-odd folk over Jock's Road in what looked like being shite weather earlier in the week. However a glorious day ensued and everyone enjoyed it. I'd been for another trail run over Mayar and Driesh two days before and as a result my thighs pretty much died on the road back to the Clova Hotel. Cracker of a day though.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Benjamin_Nevis

[Count Mongo del Fantastico]

Absolutely glorious (looking) on Meall Nan Tarmachan yesterday. Less glorious in the actual wind, but a great morning.

[Jambomo]

Do any of you go hiking whilst on blood thinners? I love hillwalking but recently was in hospital with blood clots and they did say that a severe fall or cut with the blood thinners could be really bad, so I am a bit nervous to get restarted again.

Is there any products/advice to stop heavy bleeding from injuries whilst walking? 

[Swello]

Trip to North Wales at the weekend to do the Snowdon Horseshoe. It's a really nice place -but the experience (starting with the 20 quid pre-booked parking at Pen-Y-Pas) was very different than my normal stuff.

The initial walk along the Pyg track was hilariously busy at 8am and even when we branched off for Crib Goch, there were still tons of people around.

Crib Goch was the part I was looking forward to the most - it's probably the "scariest" hill in the UK that I haven't climbed - and it reminded me of the Aonach Eagach (although shorter) in that the scrambling was straightforward but the exposure and the consequences of a slip were quite full on. There were plenty of folk around that clearly weren't experienced and watching them walking along the crest flailing their arms around for balance gave me the total fear TBH.

There was one stepped climb that was hanging over a 600m drop that was probably the trickiest part (and there was no bypass) but it was fine. After that it was a really nice ridge walk out to Crib y Ddysgl (2nd highest in Wales) with some simple scrambles all the way around until we hit the tourist paths and the railway (gulp).

f**k me. The 30 min queue for the summit at least allowed me to play the Jobbie Counting game (I counted 7 within view of the queue), enjoy the rich variety of litter on offer and marvel at the utter hell that is the top of Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon. The fact that the cloud was down for the only time was almost fitting. 

It was a relief to drop down the Watkin path, which is the quieter side of the mountain (lots more human shites everywhere though) and onto the last part of the Horseshoe, the summit of Y Lliwedd, which was almost deserted once we branched off the main track. 

This was a classic walk - both ends of the Horseshoe were fantastic (Crib Goch alone is worth the admission price), the middle part WITH ALL THE SHITES not so much.

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Swello

[derrybiy]

19 hours ago, Swello said:

f**k me. The 30 min queue for the summit at least allowed me to play the Jobbie Counting game (I counted 7 within view of the queue), enjoy the rich variety of litter on offer and marvel at the utter hell that is the top of Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon. The fact that the cloud was down for the only time was almost fitting. 

 

Now that I've done Ben Nevis by the tourist path 3 times I turn it down when someone suggests it because the crowds makes me enjoy it much less. I've always done Nevis during the summer and at weekends but it's never been anywhere near as crowded as that. I'd read about those crowds before but actually seeing it here is different and it looks like I won't be doing the main path at Snowdon anytime soon!

[Swello]

2 hours ago, derrybiy said:

Now that I've done Ben Nevis by the tourist path 3 times I turn it down when someone suggests it because the crowds makes me enjoy it much less. I've always done Nevis during the summer and at weekends but it's never been anywhere near as crowded as that. I'd read about those crowds before but actually seeing it here is different and it looks like I won't be doing the main path at Snowdon anytime soon!

I normally wouldn't bother but as I've done the Ben and Scafell, in a sad way I wanted to get the highest in Wales too

We were talking to a bunch of locals who were up doing a volunteer litter pick (fair play to them) and they said that Saturday's conditions were nothing compared to what will be seen in July and August when it can take an hour - 90 mins to get to the summit and when the train is running to the top station (which it currently isn't), it's worse again. I can't even imagine it - and it makes me appreciate what we've got here all the more.

[Central Belt Caley]

6 hours ago, derrybiy said:

Now that I've done Ben Nevis by the tourist path 3 times I turn it down when someone suggests it because the crowds makes me enjoy it much less. I've always done Nevis during the summer and at weekends but it's never been anywhere near as crowded as that.

I done Ben Nevis by the tourist path last year and some of the footwear folk had on was ridiculous. One woman had a pair of slip-on skecher type shoes on and was an accident waiting to happen. 

Anyway, West Highland Way for me next week then after that it’ll be back into the hills. Buachaille etive mòr and the Schoolhouse ridge are high on my list of priorities for this year. 

[derrybiy]

1 hour ago, Central Belt Caley said:

I done Ben Nevis by the tourist path last year and some of the footwear folk had on was ridiculous. One woman had a pair of slip-on skecher type shoes on and was an accident waiting to happen. 

The last time I done it was before covid and I'm guessing a rise in people on the hills. On the way down we passed a guy in shorts, t shirt and trainers. Carrying 1 bottle of water and no bag. There was still snow at the top.