Jump to content

Hillwalking Thread


Recommended Posts

I felt a bit bad about leaving a guy near the summit of Lui but we were pushed for time and he had decent gear and food to wait out the 40 minutes it took for us to get up and back to him. In reflection, I'm glad he didn't go up as it was a bit wild and genuinely dangerous on the final part.

I think you have to be sure about your fitness level when doing it otherwise you f**k it for the guys who have taken the time to train properly and raise cash etc. Home truths probably best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's magnificent. I did it last month along with the neighbouring three. Lui the best by an absolute mile. The fucking about in the forest after Glen Lochay is pish however.

Ben Lui is probably the only time I've become concerned for my own wellbeing on a mountain, caught in an absolute whiteout on the summit, visibility down to five yards at most, I didn't stop shitting it until I dropped below the cloud line. Crazy experience. Must go back one day.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Climbed Ben Vrackie on Friday. Really misty for most of the day. Started the walk on the wrong side of the reservoir, idiot, climbed a ten foot fence and wasted about 30 mins. It's quite a strange route they make you go, instead of straight across moorland towards the lochan you go way up and back down. Makes for a more interesting walk and it's well signposted and good path throughout. Final climb was quite steep up the stone steps.

Here's a pic looking back from the steps towards the lochan. Mist was worse on the way up, couldn't see the lochan at all.

post-7843-0-16553700-1411383179_thumb.jp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did the 3 Peaks on Friday and Saturday. Had some interesting experiences with the night ascent of Scaffell Pike treating us to the clearest view of the Milky Way andstars that I could ever have imagined.

Made an amateur error on Snowdon and got too cocky, ended up on the Crib Goch arrete. Worst couple of hours of my life but a good lesson learned.

Snowdon in particular was a horror show for any purist who wants to enjoy the wilderness in their own time and space. It's a traffic jam up the main routes, even in mid September, and a constant face palm at some of the punters who manage to get themselves into a state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got up a few in the past couple of months:

Ben More and Stob Binnein

Meall nan Tarmachan - nice easy wee ridge walk.

Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond)

Ben Starav, Beinn nan Aighenan and Glas Bheinn Mhor - Cracking walk with great views over to Cruachan and round to the back of Glen Coe.

Bidean nam Bian and Stob Coire Sgreamhach - Unfortunatly didn't get the best oif weather for this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Got a day off tomorrow so gonna try convince a few mates to join me in a blast up Ben Vrackie. Done it a few times before and it's quite an easy one, but need to get back into it. Hopefully the weather improves slightly.

I did that late into summer. Good day out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got a day off tomorrow so gonna try convince a few mates to join me in a blast up Ben Vrackie. Done it a few times before and it's quite an easy one, but need to get back into it. Hopefully the weather improves slightly.

Take a pacamac post-21367-14126199046368_thumb.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Recently got this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Munro-Show-DVD/dp/B00H87DZKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424109735&sr=8-1&keywords=the+munro+show

This is the full two series that was broadcast in 1991 & 1992 on STV. There was a shorter 1 DVD version that came out about ten years or so back.

Still have two VHS tapes of the two series somewhere from way back then. Some stunning helicopter shots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ben Lui is probably the only time I've become concerned for my own wellbeing on a mountain, caught in an absolute whiteout on the summit, visibility down to five yards at most, I didn't stop shitting it until I dropped below the cloud line. Crazy experience. Must go back one day.

I had a similar experience with a few guys up the Glas Maol area a few years back whilst doing Tolmount, Buidhe etc. Left the map reading to a self proclaimed expert in thick cloud but we ended up on one of them thinking it was the other. He was sacked as navigator on the spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ben Lui is probably the only time I've become concerned for my own wellbeing on a mountain, caught in an absolute whiteout on the summit, visibility down to five yards at most, I didn't stop shitting it until I dropped below the cloud line. Crazy experience. Must go back one day.

I aborted my attempt on Ben Lui. Scary as hell lightning storm. A guy had been killed by lightning the week before just across on Ben Oss which didn't ease my fears. It's a long walk in as well from Tyndrum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I aborted my attempt on Ben Lui. Scary as hell lightning storm. A guy had been killed by lightning the week before just across on Ben Oss which didn't ease my fears. It's a long walk in as well from Tyndrum.

A guy in my caving club got whacked by lightning up in Assynt. Who would have thought it, carrying a large metal pole to a dig site across an exposed, high open area of highland peat bog during a lightning storm, eh? Moment where other cavers are in the pub, thinking "f***, I hope nobody's up there just now" as a storm suddenly started. Meanwhile, up there...

That was actually the third time he had been hit; one in the Peak District and another whilst 300ft below ground in France. Strange, yes, but he was using a basic emergency phone with a line leading to the surface which got hit there. Rescuers didnt know what had happened until they rolled his unconscious body over to find burns down the side of his face where the head piece had been. Got to be a record of some description surely.

Guy died of lung cancer in the end rather than some mental lightning / caving accident or catastrophic liver failure after a lifetime of tanking Somerset scrumpy. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am starting to take up hillwalking, where is good to start?

For an easy hillwalking experience, Ben Lawers or Ben Lomond.

On Ben Lawers, you take in another Munro en route on a good path.

http://www.munromagic.com/TheMunroMap.cfm?CFID=819434a5-6642-4bb2-9819-268ea96f6bcd&CFTOKEN=0

Isle of Arran in the summer months is also good.

http://www.munromagic.com/TheMunroMap.cfm?MountainType=C&CFID=819434a5-6642-4bb2-9819-268ea96f6bcd&CFTOKEN=0

Edited by FlyerTon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...