Hillwalking Thread

[Al B]

Doing Etive Mor and Beag on Sunday. First ones for around 3 years and really looking forward to getting back to it and getting a good few in before I do The 3 Peaks Challenge with my work in June.

Anyone with any tips/tales for either Etive Mor/Beag or the 3 peaks?

[David W]

Doing Etive Mor and Beag on Sunday. First ones for around 3 years and really looking forward to getting back to it and getting a good few in before I do The 3 Peaks Challenge with my work in June.

Anyone with any tips/tales for either Etive Mor/Beag or the 3 peaks?

As I said earlier in the thread, I did Beag yesterday and it was easy; there's basically a clear path the whole way up (and back down). When at the top of Stob Dubh it's worth walking the extra bit to the second cairn for a better view. Yesterday you could see Jura, Schiehallion, Ben Nevis, Ben Lomond.

I still have nightmares about Etive Mordor but I think it's mainly as it was my first. The final bit heading up to the ridge is really tough; loose scree and quite steep. When you're up there it's a fairly straight forward ridge but really enjoyable.

[Al B]

Just spotted your earlier post there, hopefully we get as good a day for it as you seemed to!

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Doing Etive Mor and Beag on Sunday. First ones for around 3 years and really looking forward to getting back to it and getting a good few in before I do The 3 Peaks Challenge with my work in June.

Anyone with any tips/tales for either Etive Mor/Beag or the 3 peaks?

If you're doing all 4 in a day, tackle Stob Dearg first then head along to Stob na Broig and take the obvious (and in places shite) path down. Head left or a short distance when you hit the Lairg Gartain and pick a line up the steep slope to the lowest point of the bealach at the foot of Stob Coire Raineach. It's brutal but fairly quick and once you're on Beag the hard work is pretty much done. The best views on either mountain are at the spot described by David W. It's a braw viewpoint.

[invergowrie arab]

Winter is Coming.

First time this year with jacket, fleece, hat and gloves on today at glenshee. It really is a shitty place for a hillwalk but my 7 year old niece and sister wanted to bag some Munroe's and can barely walk the length of themselves so it's a good starter.

Some noise with stag rut though.

Edited October 14, 2015 by invergowrie arab

[Desert Nomad]

South Glen Shiel ridge yesterday. Slate grey skies and zero wind, almost perfect conditions for hiking in, great visibility too, made out South Uist on the horizon. Think it's seven munro's, but as I'm not bagging, I left the last one and took what looked a far more natural ridge back to the glen. Was glad of the hitch back to the Cluanie Inn, legs knackered today.

[jamamafegan]

Did Ben Chonzie yesterday, pretty easy climb. Took the route home over the other side to Glen Turret dam and ended up losing the path. Had to navigate down past cliffs and bogs.

[D.A.F.C]

Auchnafree Hill is ok from Glen turret too. It's a weird flat summit though, could be dodgy in the mist.

Pretty easy for a corbett.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

South Glen Shiel ridge yesterday. Slate grey skies and zero wind, almost perfect conditions for hiking in, great visibility too, made out South Uist on the horizon. Think it's seven munro's, but as I'm not bagging, I left the last one and took what looked a far more natural ridge back to the glen. Was glad of the hitch back to the Cluanie Inn, legs knackered today.

Aye, the descent off Creag nan Damh is fucking purgatory. Great ridge though ... did you take the main path up the first one or the alleged shortcut?

[Hedgecutter]

Went up Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Whatever at the weekend. Great weather (blue skies and a ever so slightly nippy with a light breeze), with a bit of rare cloud showing a 'brocken spectre' at the summit. Could see the Wallace Monument no bother at all too.

Eta: Usually we're very close to the walkhighlands website time estimate but this time we arrived back just over two hours ahead of schedule. Had packed head torches expecting to use them on the way back down but instead we found ourselves having bacon rolls at The Horn in daylight en-route home.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Hedgecutter

[Desert Nomad]

Aye, the descent off Creag nan Damh is fucking purgatory. Great ridge though ... did you take the main path up the first one or the alleged shortcut?

I took the path from the bridge over the stile. Pretty tough going, but height gained very quickly. Wouldn't like to do it after a period of rain, path was very boggy despite having barely rained in the last six weeks.

[AyrshireTon]

Did the Merrick again on Saturday. Kept going over it and added Kirriereoch Hill, which was the only remaining "finger" I still had to do of the Awful Hand range.

Will definitely be back next summer to add the hills to the east - Mullwharchar, Dungeon & Craignaw, with maybe a dook in Loch Enoch.

[Desert Nomad]

Up Ben Lawers today for the fifth time, but first time from Lawers Hotel. Must say much preferred it to the usual route over Beinn Ghlas, a bit more varied. Loch nan Cat is in a stunning situation.

[Wee Bully]

Doing it in two days would be the ideal balance. It will be very tiring and mentally draining so you get the real feeling of achievement but is also very doable. I know a couple of people who have done it in two days.

You'll probably want a piss up in Fort William at the end of it but my advice would be to book an extra night there and have your piss up the second night. Every time I've done a very long walk and tried to have a drink that day I've fallen asleep after 2 pints

I did it in 2 days (well, 46 hours) 2 years ago.

Day One 3.15am start at Milngavie on the Friday morning. Got to Half-way between Crainlarich and Tyndrum (basically where you cross the road) on Day 1 - about 10.45pm. Wanted to get to Tyndrum, but it was the law of diminishing returns at that point, as we were getting slower and slower. Got picked up by our driver and taken to Crainlarich Hotel where we were booked for the night. Started again around 4.30am, and finally limped into Fort William at about 1.15am on the Sunday morning. The last 10 miles were awful.

Great experience. On the drink at the end, for us it was a no-no (and we love a drink). FW was the only time we "split up" - 3 of us did it, and we were a couple hundred yards apart. Our driver had persuaded the night porter at the hotel to keep the bar open, and as each of us came in, he cheerily asked if we wanted a drink. All 3 of us just shook our heads, and went to our rooms. I went into the room the other two were sharing to find one shivering uncontrollably under the sheets. Cup of tea and he was as right as rain.

Main lessons (and we did all of this):

1. Train like a b*****d. We walked the whole Way as training (in 4 chunks) as well as some other pretty long walks - 35 milers.

2. Do not underestimate the mental side.

3. Look after your feet. On one of the training walks, we had torrential rain, and wet feet. Blister city. If that had happened during the main challenge, we would have been f***ed.

4. Train like a b*****d

5. Keep hydrated.

6. You will need a driver, especially the second day. Our guy was brilliant at meeting us with water and snacks.

7. Train like a b*****d

8. Don't, like me, wear a kilt. I managed Day 1 (so 50 miles) but would probably have been better off without the chaffing... I have since discovered Body Glide.

9. I would do it the traditional way. Sun and prevailing wind will be at your back, and believe it or not, there is less climb. Not an issue normally, but when you get to 90 odd miles in, you will welcome not having to go uphill. The one good thing about the boring trudge into FW is that it is downhill.

10. Train, train, train. You will not cover 96 miles and 14,000 feet of climb is you are not mentally and physically fit. It is not a stroll in the park.

[invergowrie arab]

i have just signed up to do the TGO challenge coast to coast in May. Walked from Mallaig to Montrose last time, this time I am thinking Lochailort to Stonehaven.

[Ranaldo Bairn]

My brother got trench foot doing the WHW. Pissed with rain the whole way until he had to call a halt in Glencoe and get the bus back to Glasgow.

[Hedgecutter]

i have just signed up to do the TGO challenge coast to coast in May. Walked from Mallaig to Montrose last time, this time I am thinking Lochailort to Stonehaven.

Just going to throw this out there, potentially saving you a lot of time and effort: Glasgow* to Grangemouth.

*Tide goes up to a weir around Glasgow Green, saving a mile or two there.

[invergowrie arab]

Just going to throw this out there, potentially saving you a lot of time and effort: Glasgow* to Grangemouth.

*Tide goes up to a weir around Glasgow Green, saving a mile or two there.

as the song goes " i'd walk a million miles not to go to Grangemouth"

[jester]

Proposed camping ban in Loch Lomond & Trossach National Park, may be of interest to some of you.

Open letter to the Environment Minister

Dr Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform

Dear Dr McLeod,

I am writing to you to express my disappointment, if not utter disgust at your decision to allow the board of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to introduce further restrictions on camping which are completely odds with the Land Reform Act 2003, which applies unfettered to the rest of Scotland.

My introduction to camping came in the late 1970’s, early 1980’s. As part of an angling club I visited lochs across Scotland, Loch Earn, soon to be a “Restricted Zone” under the legislation you have approved, was a regular destination. We camped out using homemade shelters, this being long before the availability of the wide range of cheap and plentiful outdoors gear which exists today. Tents then, for those who had them, were expensive and were to be looked after; aired after use, repaired when torn, they were indeed prized possessions. Today tents of reasonable quality can be picked up for twenty pounds or less. Cheap and cheerful, their very cheapness means they can be afforded by most, and should they become damaged they are more likely to be replaced rather than repaired. Many other items to accompany the tent can be viewed in a similar manner. The budget stove, sleeping bag and airbed all go to making camping affordable for all.

This is not without its problems. Many of these products are marketed almost as disposable items, to be thrown away after use. By and large these items are not bought by the serious camper, the long-distance hiker, the Munro bagger. They are bought by the relatively inexperienced, by families and festival goers, by weekend campers; people who have little knowledge of the ethos of “Leave No Trace”. Indeed, if your only experience of spending time in a tent is at T-in the Park, you may not see the error in leaving beer bottles, rubbish and indeed your tent lying in your wake. After all, someone clears them up, don’t they?

Teaching people to value the outdoors, to respect both the environment and others who live and work there are key to changing how people behave. Over the years we have changed perceived norms for better and safer practices. To reduce deaths in car accidents we introduced seatbelts. To make roads safer alcohol limits were introduced for drivers. To cut road accidents a ban on mobile phone use while driving was brought in and they have all gone some way to achieving their aims. Having said that people still drive without wearing a seatbelt, there are still people being caught drink driving, and you only have to stand by a busy road to see people driving while on their mobile phones. Not everyone does these things, but we must acknowledge that there are people who will ignore laws, so long as they think they will get away with it. This is where enforcement comes in.

Let’s be honest, what we are talking about is anti-social behaviour in a rural setting scattered over pockets across a wide area. I welcome the proposed creation of camping areas and their supporting facilities, but by creating these spaces you also limit capacity; and what then for the through hiker? When the law abiding majority will be corralled into “Pay To Stay” sanitised areas the problem visitors will remain just that; problem visitors, and as far as I can see the plans put forward by the National Park board, and approved by the Scottish Government fail to address the problem of enforcement. Policing in the area is completely inadequate to deal with the problems faced over such a wide area, and by and large the problem will remain. Some will argue that with law abiding safely tucked up in designated sites that it will then be easier to identify and deal with those breaking the law: but there are many people who will still breach these new laws through ignorance, even though they are behaving entirely responsibly and what would be legally in any other part of Scotland. They will be the easy targets, hit with fixed penalty fines which will be meekly accepted. And all the while the real targets of the legislation will, by and large, go unrestricted. Park Rangers, from some reports, appear unwilling to approach and deal with large groups of aggressive drunks. In any case they lack real powers to deal with them and are reliant on police being summoned from some way off. The National Park (and indeed the Highlands) needs more police officers with the resources to deal with the fire starters, the wild party animals, the “anti-social campers” to ensure that they are quickly rounded on and sent homewards. Simply moving them on to other areas is not an acceptable outcome, as visitors to Glen Etive will testify.

The National Park board should have the preservation, promotion, and importantly the improvement of access rights as part of its core values, along with conservation and outdoor education. Problems occur when the park board forget this, and forget that they have been given custody of a national asset. The clue is in the name!

As a final point I think it is important to recognise that it is not too late to ask you to reconsider your decision. This will not be easy, with opposition parties ready to pounce on any sign of what they could spin as weak or indecisive behaviour. But I would hope that you would acknowledge that this is a bad piece of legislation, and ask that you review your decision before the March 2017 implementation date. If not then I believe it we have the duty to continue to fight against this, by action in the spirit of that shown by Jock Winter in the Cairngorms, or by Benny Rothman on Kinder Scout. The idea that a group of responsible campers, abiding by the “Leave No Trace” ethos, who cause no harm, and who care deeply about Scotland’s access legislation and inherent freedoms, would then be dragged through the courts is a farcical one, and would show this government up as utterly hypocritical when it comes to land reform and access.

The ball is in your court.

Yours Sincerely,

James Cassidy

#getoffYOURland

https://airdrierambler.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/loch-lomond-trossachs-camping-ban-an-open-letter-to-dr-aileen-mcleod/

[Desert Nomad]

Wee trip up north last week resulted in An Teallach from Dundonnell in perfect conditions. Going over the ridge in winter is a bit beyond my skillset, but Bidean A'Ghlas Thuil was superb.

Then two days later went up Quinag. Great views, but wind was murder, so bailed after the first couple of summits.