13-16 /09/16 - Skye Cuillin

I really can't remember the chronology of events over the 4 days scrambling in Skye, so I'm just going to capture my general thoughts.

The monday before we started was wet and horrible. I'd picked up some heel cushions from Fort William to help with my legs, been shopping and had a bit of a stroll around a few spots in Skye (the fairy pools - muddy and miserable and the beach at Glen Brittle - felt like a scruffy and unimpressive version of Vik beach). I was actually feeling quite low... I picked up a bit when I met up with everyone in at The Inn in Carbost, although I felt the usual social awkwardness when in a large group of people that I didn't know. The guides seemed decent enough and as I went to sleep I was feeling a bit more "up for it".

Weather on the first day looked like it was going to be a bit dodgy, but actually turned out to be wonderful. Views were spectacular, we got a good view of the ridge which we'd be walking on for the rest of the week. The second day the weather deteriorated, but we only had a couple hours rain, we rose above the drifting low level clouds for some more spectacular views and the sun came out in the afternoon. The third day the weather was bad all day - poor visibility and fairly constant, but not heavy, rain - we were soaked by the end of it. The fourth day weather was mixed, not great, but never really that bad either.

The first 3 days were 9 hoursish each, the third day being a bit longer than the others. The fourth day was the "rest" day - just 6 hours. Overall each day was longer than expected, but while individual sections felt like they were taking a long time, each day actually sped by - a whirl of exertion, concentration and adrenaline.

We started each day with a long and fast-paced walk-in. We hardly took a breather, and only really stopped when we were waiting for the group to catch-up or putting harnesses/helmets on etc.

I ate loads all week. If anything, I think I put weight on.

The group seemed very mixed in terms of capability at first, but over time things seemed to balance out, everyone had their strengths and their weaknesses. I thought that people were going to struggle with Inn Pinn, but in practice no-one really seemed to struggle that much. By the end, we'd bonded pretty well.

The guides told us early on that they would split the group of 8 into 2 groups as we proceeded through the week. I think this in part meant that people wanted to mark themselves out as being worthy of being in the "top" group - I know I did. It certainly felt like people were bustling to be at the front. I managed to maintain a position in the front 4 for most of the time - particularly the walk in and walk out. The traversals and downclimbs I was slower on though and certainly felt less confident at those times.

A few notes on the people:
D - older chap who even when we met in the pub didn't sound like he was optimistic or particularly committed to week. He ended up really struggling on the first day and then bailing at the end of it.
P - late 50's, ex-copper. Seemed to get out of breath on the walk-ins and wasn;t as fast as some of the others, but was very confident and stable on his feet.
J - turns out that he'd done all the Munros at least once and some of them multiple times - including the Cuillins. Amazingly confident on his feet and speedy at all times. Saw him feeling a little nervous on one occasion (climbing on wet basalt slabs up Am Basteir. Easily the least phased and most consistently optimistic of everyone.
A - quite reserved at first and very sincere. Sense of humour really came out through the week. Out of everyone he felt like someone who matched my capability. Have already made provisional arrangements to meet up with him
D(2) - mixed levels of confidence and capability, but held his own in the end.
D(f) - slow on walk-ins/outs and not massively confident on other sections, but really held her own throughout and remained confident and committed throughout. Impressive woman.
E - very quick on walk-in on first day, but confidence seemed to deteriorate during the day. Seemed a bit surprised by some of the technical pieces early on, but was a real glue for the team and showed determination in getting the job done.

Fortunately all the above were thoroughly likeable and decent people in their own right. What a great group!!!

The technical pieces themselves were all either great fun at the time (particularly the chimney climbs), or fun as soon as they were over. The wet, slabby sections were the scariest pieces. The scree slopes were the most arduous - particularly the The Great Chute descent on the first day. I had that usual fear of stumbling forward when descending and facing out from the mountain, so ended up down climbing a lot of sections, which is pretty slow going. I also feared twisting my ankle on traversals where the ground could be very bouldery. I also noticed that even on sections where I felt very comfortable, I liked to take my time in choosing feet and hand placements and this could make me slower than some other people. The In Pinn itself didn't pose too much of a problem, it required a few deep breaths and lots of self-affirming inner thoughts, but A and I sped through it pretty concistently.

Funny moments - D(2) making telling me a joke and make me almost fall during a descent; thinking that the abseil setup was wrong while alone at the top of the In Pinn and nearly re tying it myself; down climbing on what felt like a precarious slab, only for the guide to walk right between us and to realise that we were only at an about a 10 degree angle.

Brilliant week. Wish I was better at descending on my feet facing out from the mountain. Can't wait to get on with some rock climbing and other mountaineering asap!

11/09/2016 - Beinn Mhanach (me)

I set off early on the Sunday morning to begin my week away doing the Skye Cuillin. I wanted to take in a Munro or 2 on the way up in order to wake my muscles up, but equally I was cautious of over exerting myself - particularly as my legs had been playing up again.

The weather was due to rain, but things were looking OK as I parked on the side of the A82 and started the long in-walk to Beinn Mhanach. I passed under the aqueduct and continued along the farm track (there were a couple of cats-eyes on this path, which were looked properly bashed in and were facing a funny angle - really didn't make much sense). There were several points where I needed to cross a stream that was reasonably in-spate, luckily my boots were really holding up.

Once I reached the foot of the hill it was a pretty constant slog up the side for the remaining 500 or so metres. My legs started to ping a bit, but I hoped they'd loosen or at least not get worse.

The weather remained dry, but got pretty windy at the top. I'd told the boys that I'd do a vlog during the week, so I did a quick "post", but then made a hasty retreat down the other side of the mountain.

The 2 other Munros which I'd not climbed in the area looked pretty close and I was tempted to take them in, but decided against it.

No sooner had I got back to the car and it started raining (and then didn't stop for 24 hours).

I ate the pub at The Bridge of Orchy then continued to Glencoe, parked up in the campervan park and setup the car for me to sleep in. Very cosy.

The following morning I set off for Skye.

31/07/16 - Ennerdale Water to Buttermere and back to Ennerdale (me, Luca)

Luca needed some encouragement to get up in the morning. It was about 9 by the time we packed up and set off. We decided on a breakfast consisting of breakfast bars rather than beans and frankfurters. I was hoping for us to get to Buttermere for a mid-morning brunch.

It was looking like another fine day as we walked along the lakeside. Eventually we found our point to cut into the hills, I checked with a runner who was descending the route as it didn't look particularly well trodden, he assured us that it was passable (a relief as the alternative would have added about 4 miles on to the route).

As we started the ascent Luca's lack of energy and/or hill fitness started to reveal itself. Having said that, it was pretty tough going,possibly due to our heavy loads. After multiple stops,including one prolonged one so that I could make us some soup, we finally made it to the top. We were now on one of the hills that we'd intended on doing on during our night time swarray (?).

We made a speedy, but tired descent to Buttermere and found somewhere to get some late lunch!

We were now significantly behind the original schedule I'd sort of planned and we were somewhat lacking in supplied. What's more Luca was saying that he didn't really want to do much more hill walking. But we were right in the middle of the hills with limited routes out and and about 20 miles back to the car - as the crow flies!!! Luca was also saying that he didn't want to do a long day the following days as he would be achey... I looked at the public transport options and even they didn't really offer any solutions.

I started to get a bit hysterical because although we were surrounded by tourists and the weather was gorgeous, we were a bit stranded! The only way back was pretty much to follow the same route, but that was just soul destroying. Luckily Luca found another way back to Ennerdale. He was up for camping there and then walking back to the car the following day. I didn't fancy that as it was a fairly dull walk the first time - I suggested getting a taxi from there....

I was pretty disappointed as we set off that we'd be finishing so soon. If I'd spent more time planning things we'd have a had a better run at it. Maybe high hill walking wasn't the thing to be doing with Luca. Next time, I needed to get him involved in the planning more. As always though, Luca was committed and uncomplaining and he soon picked up my mood and made more content with the walk ahead of us.

We crossed over to Ennerdale via a lower pass through the hills. We passed Scale Force waterfall on the way and had an excellent little scramble into the gully to get a better view of it. We kind of lost the path after that - this was no walk in the park - but found it again after a few miles and before long we were on the same paths as we were on yesterday, but in reverse.

The Ennerdale Bridge pub did some good grub, a pint (!) and we ordered a taxi to start our journey home.

All in all, very enjoyable, but over too quickly.

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30/07/16 - St Bees to Ennerdale Water (me, Luca)

Luca and I drove up to the Lakes through thick traffic for what turned out to be a late start to our walk and wild camp trip. By the time we parked at the St Bees camp site and set off it was nearly 3pm. The weather was warm and bright as we set off on the beginning of the coast-to-coast route. I'd got a couple of days off and so we were in a position to walk up to 4 days, though I knew that this was likely to be just 3. We'd got all the gear we needed, but were a bit light on food, however I was intending on stocking up along the way, possibly at Keswick, if we got that far.

The walk along the coast was pleasant and was providing Luca with ample opportunity to take some nature photographs which he needed for his Art Graphics course work. We'd spread the weight of the bags more evenly this time and so his bag was nearly as heavy as mine. We made steady progress over reasonably easy terrain.

We had a bit of a trauma passing through a field with a (very disinterested) bull in it, but soon came to the point where we headed inland - keeping (for now) to the coast to coast route. The route became a bit less interesting here as we passed across fields, through the occasional village and along country roads. I was searching for the best route to get to the hills, but it seemed to be taking a long time to get there - I started to wish that I'd planned this a bit better. Luckily the weather was supportive and Luca was in  jubilant and surprisingly chatty mood.

Eventually we found somewhere for tea and stopped off. I'm not sure where it was. I'm not sure ho welcome we were, there was a wedding party taking place. I resisted the urge to have a pint. A man gave as some advice on how to proceed with the walk. We made plans to get as far as Ennerdale Water and set off for the final stretch.

The evening was setting in and it was getting dark by the time we got to Ennerdale Water. We were both pretty tired and the ground was too uneven to make camp. Luckily we found somewhere right on the waters edge in a small patch of trees. It was gravelly, but sure enough to hold tent pegs with the weather being so still.

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Reflections at the end of a shortened trip to Glencoe

Just got back from another break in Glencoe. Back 2 days earlier than planned, had good time, but obviously wouldn't be back early if it was a roaring success and I couldn't bear to tear myself away. But learnt some important things, such as:

• I've done as much as I want to in Glencoe, I should have gone somewhere else
• Don't plan on camping in Scotland, unless weather is perfect (and it never is), camping at the end of a day's walking isn't relaxing enough. And if you end up buying a meal in a restaurant, it's overall no cheaper than staying in a hostel
• I'm pretty comfortable staying in a dorm room
• Make sure you have a good set of plans re what walks you're going to do. Winging it means that it's easy to dive into a demotivated spin
• Unless weather is consistently good, 4 days walking in one stint is probably enough - either keep the break short, or plan a break day
• Walking with other people gives you confidence - need to try and find some more walking buddies

And most importantly

• Stop concentrating on "ticking off" Munros, and instead concentrate on doing good walks!

27/06/16 - Ben Vorlich (me)

I had another good night's sleep in one of the dorm rooms. People weren't massively chatty (no bad thing), but I'd met a nice chap (with a very strong Aberdeen accent), who was doing Lands End to John O'Groats.
I set off reasonably early, driving through heavy rain which cleared significantly as I drove east and south. As I arrived at Inveruglas car park the weather was gorgeous, but looked like it was closing in.
I set off along the road, past the Hyrdo Electric pipes and then into the hills - along yet another access track....
I knew I was going to do Ben Vorlich, but hoped to do Ben Vane too, but equally I'd adopted a different attitude now to just "ticking off" the Munro's and decided that the main thing was to have an enjoyable walk.
The ascent up Ben Vorlich was steep and pathless. But never difficult. There were some potentially more exciting routes I could have taken, but I chose the safer ones, usually successfully.
It was fascinating to see some of the caves under the rocks which were breaking away from the mountain - many of which looked like they were part of the mountain itself until you saw the caves and chasms underneath them.
The weather was the best of what Scotland has to offer, a cyclical mix of sun, cloud, rain and gale. It would remain so for the rest of the day.
The views down over the damn and over to the sea were spectacular.
I decided that I really didn't want to Ben Vane, which would have been a real slog and involved a fairly dull descent from Ben Vorlich also. I decided I wanted to see if I could descend over the opposite side of the mountain and so cut off some of the track which I'd entered on.
This looked to be possible as I looked across a valley with a small lochan and a bealach which I could ascend back from if there was no way forward when I got there. This felt a bit more like an adventure and less like a project task!
The sheep seemed pretty freaked out by my presence - my guess was that not many people went this way!
This was good though, this was fun, this felt like walking fo the sake of walking, rather than ticking something off  a list!
I came to the bealach and a valley opened up before me which was completely clear of paths, but there was an exit point which would come out near Loch Lomond. I checked on the map and it would be a mile or 2 north on the A82, but it looked like there was a path I could take to return to the car, or I could walk along the shore of the Loch. I continued with the descent.
The ground was uneven but not unpleasant. Some care was needed not to trip, which I did on several occasions. The most alarming being when I slipped down into a crevace while staring at a bog patch, I fell down a couple of feet, but head first toward the bog, and the outcrop of rock which hung over it. I wondered how long it would be before someone found me here.....
As I got closer to the point where the stream exited the valley I realised that there was going to be a waterfall of some description and there was still some elevation to lose. As I got very close to it, I realised just how much. I didn't check the map, but it must have been a couple of hundred metres. But the waterfall wasn't steep and I could see ways to descend - even though it did mean hopping over a barbed wire fence.
I crossed a small damn and proceed down the the side of the stream. The ground became increasingly uneven. There were the faintest signs of where people had walked previously, and these typically ran the route which I felt most inclined to take. But the going was very very slow and I slipped and stumbled repeatedly. The grass was wet, the wood was rotten, the rocks were slippy, the bushes were overgrown. Fun though!
I remebered other time when I descended along streams only to find this kind of terrain. If I couldget myself 50m to either side it would probably have been much easier, but I kept pressing on - sure that the end was near, but it repeatedly wasn't. Luckily there was no point where the stream turned to sharp waterfall and I eventually found a path, which led to a farmhouse which I could easily walk around.
There was a small tunnel under a railway track. And here I "rescued" a lamb which had got "stuck" in a very shallow patch of mud. Somehow....
I tried to find a path to the side of the A82, but couldn't. So I resolved to cross more barbed wire fence and walk alongside the A82. Not good.
I attempted on a couple of occasions to walk the other side of the barrier and even to walk along the Loch shore, but it wasn't possible to continue for long before I was blocked. And then return from the shore to the road turned out to be more treacherous than anything else encountered up to this point - trying to gain footing and height from piles of rotting wood, grabbing onto the road barrier with finger tips and lurching myself onto the road.
I was relieved when I passed signs for Inveruglas as I was worrying that I was actually to far down the road (though I knew that this couldn't have been possible). And even more relieved when I got back to the car.
And this time I hadn't lost my wallet or crampons, or anything else.....
Uneventful drive home. Beer. Bed.

Munro - Ben Vorlich

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26/06/16 - Sgor na h-ulaidh (me)

I set off under heavy skies and the certainty of rain fall along a longish access road. But it was a shorter and more pleasant walk in than Friday's route. When the track came to an end I traced a faint path through and along stream to a high bealach. Curiously there was a gate on this bealach though the fence eithher side of it had pretty much completely disappeared.
I could see the route I need to take up to the top of the mountain, although the top itself was under cloud. It looked steep, but unproblematic. I set off and before long came to a steeper outcrop of rock. I tried to weave my way through shallower sections, but it was tricky, largely due to the lack of holdable rock and the excess of very slipper grass. My nerves started to fray as I realised that there was now no choice but to plough on. I wasn't particularly high, but a fall would still have been quite nasty. I think I was more nervous doing this than any section of the previous day! I managed to get myself over the steepest section and proceed to the ridge.
On the final section of the ridge there was a Grouse and some chicks on the path. The Grouse, bobbed and weaved and tried to blend in with the rocks, and then when that failed it jumped and flapped it's wings at the side of me.
The rains weren't heavy on the ridge, but they were persistent, and the winds had picked up, but it wasn't without it's charms. The ridge itself was fairl undulating and was difficult to navigate at points. The summit came and went and before long I'd arrived at the point where I needed to descend from the ridge and return to the track. This was due to be another steep and scree filled descent. In practice though, I managed to find a route which was fairly forgiving and brought me out about half way along the track alongside a small forest.
I got back to the car after about 5 hours and spent the evening watching the rain fall, enduring a headache, drinking just under 2 beers (I couldn't finish the second one) and feeling quite sorry for myself. I'd been toying with the idea of spending Tuesday in Edinburgh and I found a great hostel to stay at, but in the end I decided to a walk the following day and then drive home afterward. The weather forecast indicated that my best bet was to head inland a bit  and so Ben Vorlich and maybe Ben Vane started looking like good options.

Munro - Sgor na h-ulaidh

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25/06/16 - Aonoch Eagach - (me, Steve Fallon group)

This was the event that had brought me back to Glencoe - Aonoch Eagach! I was doing it with a group so that a) I dared do it at all and b) so that I could give Steve Fallon ome confidence in me doing Skye in September. The weather looked OK (pretty important given the exposure of the route). We met at Clachaig and drove to the start.
It was a relatively small group. 3 attendees, 1 leader (Al), and 1 trainee leader (also Al). The other attendees seemed capable, but not intimidating - I wanted to hold me own, but not be held back too much!
We started up the steep ascent, Al distracting us all the way with some decent insights on local flora and fauna, history and geology. He was the archetypal guide in terms of his knowledge and interest in bestowing it. Good stuff.
Before long we were at the point where we needed to don helmet and harness.
I'm not sure i it was after the first Munro or not, but the trickiest part of the day is typically held to be a long and steep descent where prolonged down climbing is necessary. This  turned out to be quite good fun. Exhilarating rather than terrifying - not sure I'd want to do it without a rope though it wasn't quite as steep and exposed as I'd thought it might be. But it was high.
We carried on through a number of shorter sections, none of which presented too much difficulty. The weather was perfect (still, bright, warm), and presented excellent views down Glencoe.
We eventually came to the pinnacles. These again turned out to be fun and not as exposed as I feared they might be. There were 2 bits where you could either shuffle or walk along while massively exposed on either side. I managed to walk the first one (I think because I thought there was no choice), but not the second.
It always comes as a relief though when the leader tells you that the worst is over and you can take your harness and helmet off.
We walked to the last Munro - an excellent, but none technical ridge walk. And then just had the descent to take care of. We'd probably been warned about the descent more than any other part. I'd feared that we were doing the gully which leads to the Clachaig Inn (where several people have died over the past few years), so I was relieved when it was confirmed that it wasn't. But it was a steep scree slope.
With much slipping and sliding we managed to make a prolonged descent and all before the rain came in (an hour later than forecast). Which was good, because when it came, it really came.
I went to Morrisons in Fort William and then to the Youth Hostel. Cooked, drank a bit and then ended up going for a local walk in a glorious evening sunset.
Tonight I was sleeping in a dorm room, so I donned ear plugs and crossed my fingers for a good nights sleep.

Munros - Meall Dearg and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh

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24/06/16 - Beinn Bhuidhe (me)

I'd driven up to Scotland on the previous night for a 6 day trip. I'd stayed in the Abbotsford Hotel, which was becoming the norm and was planning on camping at the Red Squirrel, or possible wild camping in Glen Shiel if the weather looked good - which it didn't...

Today was going to be a relatively easy walk up Beinn Bhuidhe. A more specifically a bike to the base of the mountain and then walk the last bit. 

The day got off to a very bad start when whilst I sat on the toilet I read that the great British public had voted to leave the EU. To be honest, this put me in a fowl mood which affected me the whole day. I wasn't really in the mood for walking. I felt more like rioting. So I binned off the idea of riding the first part of the trek and walked it instead.

It was pleasant weather, but the walk in wasn't particularly spectacular. It weaved along a farm track through a quarry and hydro-electric plant. I seemed to cause a herd of cows some consternation as I passed through, or maybe it was a car which was a bit behind me I'm not sure, but either way, they got pretty excited as I walked through. I just kept thinking how Luca would have coped with it.

Eventually after about 5 miles I came to Inverochoran, passed the house and found a suitable route up the side of the stream. The grass seemed to part slightly where previous feet had trodden and this gave me confidence that at least I wasn't alone in my stupidity.

It was steep and slippery. The weather was drawing in and I put on my jacket and shortly after my trousers. I wondered how much I'd have my waterproofs on this holiday.

On the far side of the stream, an access track was being built pretty high into the mountain. It was quite a nasty scar on it's side. 

Eventually the ground levelled off and I was able to choose the line which I'd got up to gain the short ridge to the top. The weather had cleared and as I walked to the top I had pretty decent views over the surrounding area. But I really wasn't in the mood for them.

I started my descent and opted to descend via the unfinsihed track in the hop that it would cut off some of the farm track which I'd entered on. It was long and dull, but reasonably effective.

By the time I'd got back to the car I'd resolved that I wasn't going to plan on doing all the Munro's any more. Instead, I was going to plan on doing good walks which usually included Munros. This would get rid of the misguided want/need to "tick off" the duller Munros such as this one.

I went to Inverary castle, which was small, but quite spectacular and then drove through the Glen of Orchy, also spectacular and to the Clachaig Inn. Where it started to hurl down.

I went and had steak and chips and then paid for the Red Squirrel and sat in the car waiting to see if it would stop raining so I could put th tent up. I realised that something else I needed to start doing was always make sure that I had hostel accommodation booked, scottish hiking all day and camping at night, doesn't work for me.

I decided I'd drive round the local hostels and see if I could find a space (I'd already tried booking.com and had no joy). The Glencoe ones were full for the night, but Inchree managed to put me up for the night, in the same room as I stayed last time - even the access codes were the same as previous. I booked into the Glencoe Youth Hostel for the following 2 night. Instantly my mood buoyed and I looked forward to the following day.

Munro - Beinn Bhuidhe

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18/06/16 - Buttermere (me, Luca)

Luca and I set off from Nantwich at about 8pm to go and do a night walk in the Lakes. I'd packed full camping kit so that we could camp in the hills. I figured that we could walk till about midnight, camp, and ideally wake at about 4 in order to see sunrise and then complete the walk. I'd also got some optional extensions and get-out-of-jail-quick routes depending on energy levels etc.
Luca hadn't been walking for quite some time and I wanted to prep myself for my walking weekend next weekend (and test my achilles tendon which had been playing up), so I put all the gear in one bag and decided that Luca could walk bag free.
The weather looked like it was going to be OK, though we were unlikely to get a dramatic sunset or sunrise or a star filled sky in between. In practice it was due to be overcast throughout. Despite thsi we arrived to a pleasant dusk, parked up at the side of the road and set off.
This was covering some of the same route as I'd done with Conners a year and a half ago, so I knew vaguely where we needed to be. However, as is always the case, finding the start of the path was tricky - we ended up ploughing across field and fences, bogs and streams before eventually finding it. During this time I realised that I'd overshot in trying to find the balance between fitness and load levels between me and Luca - my bag far outweighed (literally), any excess fitness levels that I might have over Luca! He was skipping his way along while I was plodding.
We followed the path up the gorge alongside the stream and as it got progressively darker we cam to the top. By this time we'd put our torches on. I was using my phone for navigation, but it was difficult to see how we'd transfer to the other side of the gorge in order to proceed with the walk, so we walked onto the plateau in expectation that we could find the ridge and then walk back along it.
Before long we came across the Bothy which Conners and I had been in previously. I forgotten about this, but thrilled that we'd spotted it because I knew Luca would get freaked out by it. And it was a bit freaky. I suggested to Luca that we sleep in it, knowing what the answer would be.
We carried on down the path, looking for the point where we could turn right, up and onto the ridge.
It was now as dark as it was going to get, not pitch black, but still pretty dark. The bird noises had gone, as had the stream, there was no noise at all. But then I heard a faint phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum . I ignored it at first, but then it came again. I knew that Luca would get completely distracted and freaked by it, so I didn't mention it. But he obviously heard it as well. phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum-phwum . It was weird because it was actually circling us. I figured that if we kept walking we'd leave it behind, but we didn't. I tried to down play it with Luca, but it did sound like it was both circling and following us. I reassured him (and myself), that there was no animal in Britain which was going to attack humans in the night..... It was definately airborn and sounded like it was about 20 feet away, travelling pretty fast in 3 second bursts every 30 seconds or so. Weird. We shone the torches into the dark, but couldn't see it. Luca recorded a video of the sound on the camera. I tried to keep us walking, Luca  wanted to stay put. Eventually we came to the point where we would turn right and join the ridge, I was optimistic that we'd lose this bizarre creature when we moved to this new ground, but no.... I concluded that it must be following our light so we turned our lights off for about 10 minutes. This seemed to be effective and the noise disappeared.
We decided to turn the lights back on, immediately though the hill was became speckled with tiny reflections of our lights. Luca grabbed me and exclaimed "there's eyes!!" I scrambled for a logical explanation and came up with "it's bits of marble". Which was more stupid than thinking it as wolves (which is what it actually looked like!). Luckily, before long I realised it was sheep. It was pretty freaky.
We carried on in the hope of finding the ridge that we would continue on, past Buttermere and then down to return to the car. Luca was saying that he fancied walking through the night. And I was fine with this too.
Navigation during the night was proving difficult though. We could see vague silhouetted shapes of mountains where we were heading, but distance was impossible to determine. We weren't lost, but we were significantly off track. The ground was very uneven, both at a macro and micro level which meant that it was slow going and it was difficult to find any kind of ridge line. As has happened previously though, when my mood was fading, Luca would show great optimism and leadership by suggesting something concrete as a means of progression. It was lovely walking with him again.
We took a pause to heat up a tin of soup (heating it and drinking it direct from the can).
It was only about 3am when the light started to return inbetween the clouds. And it was shortly after this that we actually found the route we were supposed to be on.
We came to the first hill we needed to ascend and realised just how much ascent it was. In practice I figured that we were only about half way along the route if we proceeded along the ridge line. We must have added 2 or 3 miles on with our wandering around on the plateau and struggling to fine the route. I wasn't up for it and neither was Luca. The dawn was upon us though and it would have been a real shame to get back to the car too soon. So we decided that we'd descend to the lake and then walk around it and back to the car. This would also give Luca the chance to take some photo's for his Art Graphics course work.
Luca carried the bag for about 5 mins and then gave it back to me....
It wasn't a particularly dramatic sky for the dawn, but was very pleasant anyway. The walk round the Lake was a lovely start to the day. But this bag was getting pretty heavy now.
I was relieved to get back to the car. But it had been a great walk. 7 hours in total. I was also relieved that my achilles tendon had held up ok.
I was very tired as I started to drive back, so had to pull over for 20 mins. Luckily that sorted me enough to do the rest of the drive home.
Night walking was definitely something I'd do again. Especially if the weather was predicted to be better. Next time though I think I'd ditch the camping gear!

04/06/16 - Hope Valley - [mtb] (me, Steve)

Today I was due to pick Dani and the boys up from Manchester airport and so I was able to get another early ride in with Steve. This time in Hope Valley.
We did a classic route in glorious weather. I did a bit more walking than Steve, but most of it was doable.
I did have quite a nice little fall and skid along a rocky section which I tried to descend too quickly. I was able to carry on with the rest of the ride without too much problem though.
Definitely an area to return to.

28/05/16 - Lee and Cragg Quarry [mtb] (me, Steve)

I'd dropped Dani and the boys off at Manchester airport at about 4am and had arranged to meet Steve for an early ride in a couple of slate quarries in Lancashire.
Lot of run again - we rode through to Cragg Quarry first, across non-technical, but pleasant moorland. There was no particular trail in Cragg Quarry, but lots of options, from the simple, to the suicidal. I opted for the simple end a bit more that Steve, but even he seemed quite intimidated by much of the options.
Lee Quarry had more specific, but quite short trails, all of which were good fun and provided the opportunity to try stuff again if it felt a bit too much at first.
I started to really long for a dual suspension bike in the hope that it might help with some of the technical ascents.
Good breakfast in a local cafe - with a really cleverly designed single teapot. Still looking to buy one of those if ever I see one....

14/05/16 - Snowdon Horseshoe (me, Steve, Mark)

Steve and I had talked about doing this route for some time and getting Crib Goch done was definitely something I wanted to do to give me some confidence in doing the Scottish scrambling routes which I'd booked for this year. Mark had also put his name in the hat to join in,so we booked a date and crossed our fingers for the weather - there was no way I was doing this route in bad weather. In practice, the forecast was mixed, but the worst of the weather (thunder storms), wasn't predicted till about 3pm - so we set off early.

First obstacle to overcome was parking - Steve and I ended up parking at the bottom of the hill, but managed to get a lift up with a taxi driver who gave us a lift up for a couple of quid each. Bargain. Luckily we found Mark, who'd had more success at finding a space.

We set off, initially sharing the track with everyone doing the Pyg Track. Mark clearly liked to go at a pace....

Before long we separated from the crowd and started ascending the route which would lead to Crib Goch. The weather was damp, but not raining and the wind was low. So not ideal, but good enough.

The initial scramble was steep and fairly exposed, but nerve tingling fun. As started the traverse of Crib Goch I soon ended up at the back. My nerves were holding and I felt reasonably comfortable as long as I kept moving and using my hands as well as my feet. But Mark was more of a mountain goat and just seemed to be skipping along. Steve was also going at a stronger pace than I'd expected given the nerves which he'd shown in Scotland. Overall, it was exposed, but didn't feel particularly risky. There were a number of other people doing the route, some had clearly done it on many occasions before, some seemed less sure. 

Before too long we were on more even ground and not long after that we were on the top of Snowdon and again joined by the crowds. The experience had been fun and left me wanting to do it again - next time I'd enjoy it more and would take in the pinnacles that we'd gone round this time. The experience had given me some confidence for the upcoming Scottish sorties.

There was a lot of banter, particularly between Mark and me - I'd pay the price for being slower than him....

Mark had packed very light, including not having much food, so he stocked up in the shop at the top of Snowdon.

We continued our round along the Watkin path. This was exposed, but not relative to Crib Goch. A good walk nevertheless.

The weather was holding and became increasingly pleasant as we reached the Tarn and continued to the car park. 

We stopped for a beer in the Youth Hostel and Steve and I even chose to walk back to his car rather than get a lift so that we could enjoy the fine weather - so much for the storms!!!

26/03/16 - High Carneddau (me)

I wanted to get out and enjoy some of the winter weather before it disappeared and I also wanted to start getting to know Wales a bit more. And I also just wanted to go for a walk!
I parked on the side of the A5 and was treated to my first view of Tyfan - looked like the arching back of Godzilla! But that would have to wait for another day.
Well, not that I was complaining, but it was a gorgeous day - no need for crampons today!
I started up the steep and slightly scrambly ascent of Pen Yr Ole Wen and up to Carnedd Dafydd. There quite a few people dotted about, I seemed to be intend on racing most of them... The giudebook had said that the walk would take 6 to 8 hours and I wanted to see how quickly I could do the walk.
I walked along the ridge to Carnedd Llewelyn. There was snow here, but no need for crampons. Visibility was incredible and the views over Wales were fantastic. My phone was completely letting me down in terms of it's capabilities to capture the scene, but I was in no mood to pause and take photos anyway - I was against the clock.
I continued to Yr Elen, and then back again. The weather and views continued to be spectacular.
I experienced a first up a mountain on returning to Carnedd Llewelyn - the smell of weed! A youn group clearly though it was a good a place to have a smoke as any..!
I decided not to take in Pen Yr Helgi Du - I seemed to be keen to finish the walk.
Views at the base of Cwm Llugwy continued to be stunning.
All the was left now was the relatively dull farm track back to the A5 and then along the A5 back to the car. I completed this at pace and was all done in about 5 hours.
Just before I got back to the car I realised what an idiot I was. I'd concentrated on speed rather than enjoyment and had somewhat wasted these glorious walking conditions. Numpty.

18/03/16 - Snowdon [mtb] (me, Chris)

Chris and I took a day off work to bike up Snowdon using the Llanberis route for asecent and Ranger path and Telegraph alley for descent.
The weather looked set to be great. We set off in good spirits, though my energy levels were a bit low and the steep ascent soon had me beat and I quickly ended up hiking rather than riding my bike. Chris faired much better and managed to stay on his bike more consistently than me - this would remain the patter for the entire round.
Somehow we managed to lose the path on the way up (how!?!) and so paid the price of having to cross open bracken filled fields to regain the path.
There quite a few walkers and the occasional biker - particularly 2 young lads (one of whom reminded me of Prince Harry!), who'd we cross paths with repeatedly.
After a few stops we eventually got to the top. It was definitely harder than walking up!
Unfortunately it wasn't possible to get the bikes on top of the cairn due to the hoards of people on it, damn them...
Now for the descent! To be honest,my nerves frayed a bit initially, the drop to the left was a bit unpalatable and so I took it stead. The exposure soon disappeared and was replaced by technical descent. All good fun, some more rideable than others. Some particularly flowy.
We caught up with the 2 lads - one had a puncture. I offered an innertube but it was the wrong size.
We carried on, the lads caught up and we walked with them through to Telegraph alley. Lots of bunny hops in this bit. The lads carried on, Chris shortly behind. My much further behind...
We caught up with the lads again - another puncture. This time he gladly accepted the tube. Being recent grads, the outlay for a tube was probably greater for him than me and he was markedly grateful.
We carried on the rest of the easy, but fast route and returned to the car.
Bizarrely, a local pub had a deal where you'd get £5 worth of food/drink just by showing them your parking ticket - weird, but great! Beer and chips, lovely.
Splendid day, felt good to say that you'd biked up a mountain, or at least, been up a mountain with your bike!

Plans for 2016 (rev 2)

January
Nothing, the weather was awful!

February
Snowdonia winter walk (done)

Scotland winter weekend (done)

March
Carnedau

April
Tryfan Horseshoe

May
Crib Goch

June
30 miles and home with Luca
Scotland weekend - Glen Etive

Tryfan horseshoe

July


August
Lakes with Luca

September
Skye

29/02/16 - Beinn Chabhair (attempt) (me, Steve)

We set off fairly early for our last day knowing that we had a long drive at the end of the day. The weather had taken a definite change for the worse and as we drove south there was much banter about whether either of us wanted to bail and just carry on home. I was up for the walk, but wouldn't have taken much convincing not to bother.

We struggled to find the path which led up the left of the stream (as the route suggested), so carried on up the right - it was steep and slippery. Hard going, especially in the rain.

We came to the top of the first section and managed to get across the stream to the proper path. There was a path, but it was very boggy. We knew we need to bear left up the hill at some point, but struggled to find the correction point, so we just bore left and up and aimed for one point at a time.

The snow was now getting pretty deep, but wasn't right for crampons. The wind was also strong, as was the rain/sleet/snow. During yesterday, it felt like mountaineering was the best hobby in the world, today the argument was less convincing.

We clambered precariously to the top of one outcrop only to need to descend before the next one. Steve's phone was giving disappointing gps locations (in terms of height and distance from the summit). We came to an opening before a gorge which could make a suitable ascent to the crest of mountain, but visibility rapidly deteriorated. We checked on Steve's phone, but it died on us. Now, I had my phone and a back-up gps, but it was clear that neither of us had our heart in carrying on. So we "called it" and made a speedy retreat.

We spotted a couple of walkers in the distance and later bumped into another couple who were with them. They'd take a more direct route that us which would undoubtedly be better during poor visibility. What's more visibility had returned as soon as we got out of that specific location. So it did urk a bit that we'd not made it to the top. Still it felt good that we'd now have time for a quick pint in the Drovers Inn...

The descent took longer than expected as always (despite Steve pretty much running down), the last section was particularly steep. My knees started to twinge a bit, but overall I still felt pretty good. My shoes hadn't ached much and most importantly, no shin splints!

We settled on having a full meal in the Drovers Inn.

The journey home was quiet and uneventful - other than the news of an accident on the M74 southbound from Glasgow which had closed the motorway. We were ahead of it by then, but had we finished the walk we undoubtedly would have been stuck in traffic for a fair while.

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28/02/16 - Beinn a Chaorainn (via East ridge) and Beinn Teallach (me, Steve)

Today was our second and last day with our guide Andy. Steve had a cooked breakfast, but at the hostel this time and even made his own packed lunch - so he seemed to be getting into the swing of hostel life. And we'd agreed that we'd take a Grade 1 route today, with less exposure and obvious height to it. It was also in a part of Scotland that I'd not been too before. To top it off, it looked like another cracking day weather wise. So we met up with Andy in good spirits.

We dropped off a car at the finishing position of the walk and set off in one car to the beginning. The walk started along a forest path, alongside some stunning waterfalls, which were partly iced over. Andy pointed out a perfect circle of ice, formed by spinning in the currents of the water - if he hadn't pointed it out I would have thought it was a bin lid!

We soon came to a forest track, which was covered with deep snow, but also run through with a line of well trodden steps. This was heavy and long going though - with heads down treading carefully into each well trodden step, so as to avoid the effort of creating new ones. The sun was blazing, and with the build up of heat from walking, I kept feeling like I was in Corsica or Sardinia.

Eventually, we came to the end of the track and got a view of the ridge wed be ascending. It looked pretty steep and rugged, despite being a Grade 1. We proceeded up, gaining significant height, and covering some reasonably exposed and technical sections before donning crampons, axe, harness and helmet. The route up was certainly less overtly exposed than yesterday, but in parts was possibly more technical and more akin to my experience last year in terms of having to utilise exposed rock and heather. Steve certainly found it less scary than the previous day, but there was still a need to mange balance onto the mountain side carefully, so to me it was pretty much as scary as the previous day. But fun too.

The first summit did not disappoint. We were treated to the same 360 degree vista, including some very impressive cornices.

We continued over the hump of the mountain and down to a baelach which led to the next summit. The snow sparkled, but cut by just the occasional line of foot steps, human and non-human. We saw ptarmigan prints, which led to a couple of ptarmigans in the distance. The next mountain faced us, looking a bit like a large dollop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles on top.

Before long we were taking our crampons and helmets off and starting our next ascent. We were in close, single file so as to reuse treads in the snow and made a consistent and speedy pace. But it took a surprisingly long time to get to the top. Having said that, I realised that I'd had a smile on my face for about the last 2 hours.

The summit finally fell beneath our feet, we paused to finish our coffee off and chatted for a while to a couple of slightly older walkers, one of whom carried an axe with a old wooden handle. We started our second descent. The sun was setting now and the original summit to our left looked like it had been covered in a layer of thick smooth clay, which had cracked (creating small gorges on it's surface).

We looked for some snow holes which Andy had pointed out previously, but they were largely filled in with snow (shame, I wanted to step inside and see what it would have been like to sleep in one).

The descent was long, but gradual and easy and the lowering sun provided a spectacular view over the mountain and brought lovely shadows, silhouettes (particularly of the 2 walkers in front of us), and colours (particularly of the forest trees in front of us).

We crossed our final mountain stream (we'd crossed a few over the past couple of days and it was surprising that we'd not slipped in to any), and re-entered the forest through an almost fairy tale path.

It had been a fantastic day, but also quite tiring, so I was quite pleased to return to the car.

After saying goodbye, we went to mozzers for more steak and wine.

Munro - Beinn a Chaorainn, Beinn Teallach

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27/02/16 - Stob coire Sgreamhach via Sron na Lairig (me, Steve)

Today was our first day with our guide (Andy from West Coast Mountain Guides). I started the day with a breakfast which I made in the hostel and ate while prepping lunch. Steve went to Morrisons to get a cooked breakfast and buy sandwiches...

Unfortunately, Steve had a prang in his car in Morrisons car park so he was a bit phased as we met up with Andy and started our walk up the path to Buachaille Etive Beag (4th time for me on this path). The weather was stunning - clear blue skies and a blazing sun. Luckily, Andy had some sun glasses he could lend me.

I was particularly pleased that we were doing this route as it enabled me to "bag"  Stob coire Sgreamhach, which I'd missed (due to perceived lack of time), when I did Bidean nam Bian.

We got reasonably high before donning crampons, but before long we were roped up and on our way. I offered some self mocking to Andy as we geared up that I'd managed to lose a crampon last year, he confirmed that he'd not heard of that before and Steve took the opportunity to join in the tease.

Steve and I were attached to the same rope, me about 10 feet further up than Steve, which required more consideration than when it had just been me last year.

Steve, made a comment early on re "this is the life". I'd been a little worried as to how he would cope with some of the exposure, because at the climbing wall he'd open about struggling with the height of some of the walls, so I was pleased that he was enjoying it, but I was also aware that we also hadn't really started yet....

The going was very different to last year - there was probably more exposure, but the route felt less technical, because the snow was more even and settled, so the foot holds were more certain. That's not to say that my nerves weren't fraying though... As were Steve's - he made a comment about not looking down, and then shortly after I could hear his breathing quicken.

We then came to a top which involved significant exposure on both side and a very thin ridge walk to progress. It became clear that Steve was having a panic attack. I was pretty pleased that I could walk across the thin ridge section with reasonable confidence, but Steve wanted to crawl across - which would have been suicidal. I still don't know how he actually got across, because I couldn't look - I left it to Andy to deal with so that I could concentrate on managing my own nerves. One thing was clear though - it was not an option for Steve to stay still or retreat, he had to deal with his nerves and carry on.

To make matters worse, Andy also spotted at this time that Steve had lost a crampon..... Not good.

We had another very exposed section, which Steve had to do an "old school" donkey ride traverse over - i.e. sticking one leg either side and shifting along on his arse. But he got there. He also did a grand job of completing the rest of the climb with only one crampon - I did not envy him that experience...!

The views on the way up had been truly stunning,but it was only when we got to the very top that the views really opened up. The view down Glen Etive was beautiful, but it was the 360 degree view of Scotlands mountains which really amazed - the air was so clear that the only thing limiting our view was the curvature of the earth. Luckily Andy was able to expertly point out what all the mountains were - over to the Cairngorms, Knoydart, Ben Lawers, Ben More, but most impressively, in a perfect placed gap in the mountains, a distant view of the Cuillin Ridge.

Some impress cornices also garnered the summit - made all the more interesting by the single hare track which ran up to the very edge and then back again - what had that hare been looking at?

We started our descent down the third Sister of Glencoe. Steve's nerves were returning, but I found this bit quite unnerving. I wasn't on a rope, and the steps were down into deep snow. A slip probably would just have meant a stumble into snow, but might also have resulted in rolling over the edge. One crampon Steve was kept on a leash by Andy.

After a bit of descent Andy determined a speedy and relatively safe descent down the side of the mountain. This involved what turned out to be a very enjoyably romp down the side, followed by a seated glissade (bum slide). Type 1 fun!

Steve was pretty quiet for the remainder of the walk. He was reasonably settled that he wasn't going to come out with us the following day, but I suggested that we do a Grade 1 route instead, with less ridge type exposure and Andy came up with a few options for this.

The final part of the descent was enriched with continue good views and treats such as looking at hare tracks and the fox tracks pursuing them.

We stopped at Cotswolds for Steve to get some (G14 !!!) crampons. And then stopped at Morrisons for wine, pasta and steaks.

Munro - Stob coire Sgreamhach

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26/02/16 - Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh - (me, Steve)

Today was the first day of a long weekend of Scottish Winter Mountaineering with Steve. We'd driven up the night before after work and stayed in the Abbotsford Hotel outsideof Glasgow. i wanted to do this route because Beinn Dorain had always looked so menacing and inspiring when I'd driven past it on the way to Glencoe. The weather looked set to be good for the next few days and so we set off on our first route in good spirits.

It was a long, steady, but reasonably demanding incline to a bealach from which a left would take you up Beinn an Dothaidh and a right would take you up Beinn Dorain. We paused for a while to watch some climbers going up an impressive frozen waterfall onthe edge of Beinn an Dothaidh and then with crampons attached and axe in hand proceeded up Beinn an Dothaidh - on the basis that it would  possibly be less interesting than Beinn Dorain, so best leave Beinn Dorain for number 2.

The going was surprisingly hard and I started to wonder about my fitness and my appetite for the next 4 days of walking... The snow was deep and at times, each step was hard.

Eventually, we got to the first summit. Steve pondered if we should add in a further summit - I'm still not sure if he was being serious or not, but I said "no" without hesitation (it would have been a difficult addition anyway).

We returned to the bealach and proceeded to Beinn Dorain. The weather was holding, but visibility was mixed, distant mountains were phasing in and out, but looking spectacular as they came into view.

I was pleased that I'd read that it was easy to mistake an upcoming cairn as the summit, because it very much was! Luckily, we knew to carry on to the second cairn. I was a little disappointed that the ridge wasn't more pronounced, but mainly I continued to be concerned at how physically drained I was.

Once we started our return, Steve offered me a "hit" from his hip flask - it was the best whisky I've ever had! Context is everything....

We stopped for a beer at the Bridge of Orchy pub when we got back down and then I had a sleep in the car on the way to the Glen Nevis Hostel.

Fort William was starting to become quite familiar to me- particularly the Morrisons. But Steve didn't seem blown away at the idea of cooking for ourselves in the hostel, so we went out for a curry instead (!?!).

Munro - Beinn Dorain, Beinn an Dothaidh

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07/02/16 - Snowdon - Rhyd-ddu (me)

I knew I wanted to venture more into Snowdonia in 2016, but the weather looked a bit dodgy and I wasn't really sure about doing a completely unknown route in winter, so I played it safe and opted for Snowdon. I chose a route which looked interesting - a little more exposed than Ranger Path.

I arrived at the car park in good time. The weather looked OK, visibility wasn't great, but as I looked up the mountain I couldn't see any snow at all. I took my crampons and axe just in case.

I set off up the path. It was pleasant, but unspectacular. When I eventually got a view of the summit, I could see that it was slightly whitened (salt and pepper), but a couple of walker that I passed on the way down said that it was just icy rather than snow.

The last section was reasonably exposed, with some simple scrambling on the ridge, I also took a more technical final ascent - which was actually quite slippery.

The steps at the end were very slippery, but crampons may not have helped much. I scrambled up the cairn (avoiding the steps, which would have been dangerous), with a very strong wind behind me. 2 guys were sat on top and joking that it was going to be difficult to get down - and they were right,the wind was so strong that it was difficult to twist round to face the cairn to descend back down!

I returned via a slightly different route and considered an additional hill ridge, which looked pretty interesting, but laziness dominated and I returned to the car instead so that I could get some wine and a steak at home....