Ben Nevis International

Sgurr a'Mhaim & Stob Ban From the Tourist Path

A run of regular trips up Ben Nevis is about to come to an end after a trio of international clients has provided welcome interest and entertainment on the well-worn Tourist path during August.

  

Quan Pauses for a Quick Snap

After American Marisa’s impressive romp in the rain at the beginning of the month, I was joined by Quan from Vietnam in mid-month.  Conditions weren’t great and the top of the mountain was particularly unfriendly with thick cloud, wind and rain enforcing the briefest of summit visits.  We did find time, however, to satisfy Quan’s insatiable appetite for photographs which led in turn to myself being handed cameras from half a dozen other summiteers as I briefly became the resident photographer!

The Highest Vietnamese in Britain!

The clouds did part on the descent and Quan finished the day bounding down the path and returning to the car in a creditable 6hrs 20 mins.  I now know an awful lot more about Vietnam!

Quan Heads For Home!

Last week, it was my pleasure to guide a young Hungarian lady who lives in Holland and speaks 3 languages (mind you, that’s only 2 more than  do)!  Typically for such a clever clogs (see what I did there?), Adrienn had picked just the right day and it remained clear and dry all day.

 

The Crowds Head Up

Given the kind conditions, the mountain was, of course, very crowded and a veritable snake of assorted families, individuals and couples from around the globe provided constant accompaniment.

Nearing the Top

Adrienn wasted no time in shinning up the Ben yet still found time to take several hundred photos – that was until her camera ran out of charge!  She may have been good at languages but she was rubbish at keeping phones and cameras charged!  Well I suppose you can't have everything...

A Rare View of the Upper Mountain

We were on top in under 3 hrs and soon found the hardest part of the climb to be trying to find somewhere to sit down on the crowded summit! 

Gardyloo Gulley

It was a refreshing change to get a clear sight down both Tower and Gardyloo Gulleys and the clear air gave us good views from Schiehallion to Skye!

The Crowded Summit

We left the crowds behind and raced down the mountain (it seemed) returning to the car in 5hrs 40 mins which left plenty of time to go into town looking for phone chargers…….  

  

The Green Hills of Breadalbane

The Tarmachan Ridge

Green is very much the colour of the moment over much of the southern Highlands just now, and particularly in the grassy hills of Breadalbane (high Alba - the ancient name for Scotland) that surround Loch Tay.  Marisa had taken time off from her PhD to acquaint herself with the Highlands before returning to the States and Fiona joined us from Glasgow for a day.

Killin & Loch Tay

Killin, convenient as ever for these hills, was our base and the hill for our first half day chose itself – the always delightful Tarmachan Ridge.

Meall Garbh

Meall nan Tarmachan

This 3Km knolly ridge twists and turns over entertaining bumps and bealachs which will always be best enjoyed on a warm summer’s evening.  We set off from high on the road between Loch Tay and Glen Lyon close to the old site of the now removed National Trust for Scotland (NTS) Visitor Centre.  An excellent path (they’re all pretty good around here) leads off the private Hydro/quarry track and climbs up the open hillside to the skyline before bearing right up the ridge.

Meall Garbh

Half-way up, we passed an NTS working party busy repairing the footpath which takes a pounding from the many walkers enjoying this popular and accessible peak.  The ascent is straightforward and in less than 90 mins, we were standing on our first Munro of the week: Meall nan Tarmachan (1043m; hill of the ptarmigans).  The blue skies and clear air gave us wide views in all directions and Marisa seemed suitably impressed with what Scotland had to offer!

Meall Garbh & Beinn nan Euchan

After the climb came the fun part – the traverse of the Tarmachan ridge up and over Meall Garbh before a short but sharp drop (take care here) that leads to Beinn nan Euchan.  This summit gives excellent views west along Glen Lochay which now opens up below you.  There were just a few other walkers about, and one runner – a fellow American who had taken a couple of weeks off to run up and down a selection of Scotland’s finest peaks before heading down to London to help with the Olympics!

Beinn nan Euchan

Steeply down again from our last peak, we turned south and descended into Coire Fionn Lairige to pick up the end of the Hydro track which we followed all the way back to the car.  This is the best half-day’s hillwalking I know in the southern Highlands.  

Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers

Whilst the 7 Munros of the Lawers group can be tackled in one long day, assuming you have 2 cars, it is perhaps more enjoyable to split them into 2 and take time to savour them more.  With Fiona joining us, we did have 2 cars and so were able to leave one at our finishing point - the new NTS car park, and take the other to our start point at the large cairn beside the road at the head of the pass into Glen Lyon.

Meall a’ Choire Leith

The outlying grassy mound of Meall a’ Choire Leith is awkwardly placed some way north of the main Lawers ridge.  There’s no convenient direct path from this direction so we struck out across the open country using the contours to negotiate an intermediate mound and then a ridge followed by a grassy corrie before finally arriving at the mountain proper!  Here we intercepted a good path (at last) and followed it up the short southern ridge of Meall a’ Choire Leith (926m; hill of the grey corrie).  This is much more of a Glen Lyon hill than a Loch Tay one and  you can see why, given the commanding views you enjoy of that glen from the rounded summit.

Meall Corranaich

We returned down the southern ridge which in turn leads conveniently on to the northern ridge of our next peak.  This was excellent ridge walking now and steep grassy slopes on either side helped complement the airy feel about the walk.  In no time at all we were standing on our 2^nd summit and Munro of the day: Meall Corranaich (1069m; crooked hill). 

Anyone Seen That Path...?

The path descends steeply from the summit to a high, narrow bealach at 860m that leads on to Beinn Ghlas.  Conveniently for us, however, an excellent path traverses the northern slopes of that mountain and leads directly to the bealach immediately below Ben Lawers.  Here we were joined by thronging masses of men, women and children (in varying degrees of happiness) – as well as the NTS working party we had seen on the previous day!  The summit was crowded but it is the 10^th highest mountain in Britain after all: Ben Lawers (1214m; hill of the loud stream).

Beinn Ghlas

We lingered not and were soon back at the intervening bealach before the short and easy climb to our final peak of the day: Beinn Ghlas (1103m; greenish-grey hill).  This peak was much quieter (they were all still on Ben Lawers) and more importantly, we could now see the car!  The much-maintained path took us all the way back to the new NTS car park which, on sunny summer days such as this, clearly isn’t going to be big enough!

Postcript - Ben Nevis

She Made It!

On our 3^rd day, given the forecast of low cloud and heavy rain which seemed destined to wash out the Killin Highland Games, Marisa opted for a dirty dart up to Fort William and a quick raid on Ben Nevis.  Yes it rained, but not as much as it did in Killin apparently, and we were smartly up and down in 5½ hrs!  No views mind… 

         

Two Ex-military Navigators Now in New Jobs! 

Check out my plans for similar walks at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm

The Drumochter Hills – David’s Last Munro!

The secret to selecting your last Munro (assuming you want to share the event with family and friends) is to go for a relative easy and accessible hill that won’t deter too many folks.

After sharing the Knoydart and Glen Coe peaks with David in the past year, I’ve been fortunate enough to return to the hills again with him to celebrate the ‘compleation’ of his first (and last, he insists) Munro round.  Sensibly, he’d chosen the 2 east Drumochter Munros: A’Bhuidheanach Bheag and Carn na Caim.  In return for choosing 2 sensible final hills, a party of almost 20 set out from just south of Dalwhinnie and 11 of us made it up to both summits.  Wee Towser came along again, eager to add to his Munro tally!

On The Way Up!

The track to the old marble quarry was mercifully cooler than my last visit in late May and we soon reached the grassy plateau – and the cloud that remained with us for the next 2 hours.  Whilst we were to be denied any long distance views for a while, closer to home the plateau was alive with ptarmigan, golden plover and dunlin as well as quite a number of mountain hares.

Golden Plover (Best I Could Do)!

These hills may be relatively modest in height and blessed with a high start, but they can be bleedin’ difficult to find in mist.  Today was no exception and I have to admit to a slight 10-minute meander en-route to the summit trig point of David’s penultimate Munro: A’Bhuidheanach Bheag (936m; little yellow place).  You don’t see the trig point until the last minute in these conditions so it’s always an achievement to find it on this featureless tableland of grass and peat!

A’Bhuidheanach Bheag - One To Go!

After a few minutes admiring the trig point’s fine lines, we returned in a rather more direct(!) way and regained the plateau track past the old quarry and headed north towards our 2^nd peak.  Here, a line of old rusting fence posts help guide you almost the whole way to the summit - which is just as well as the lack of a trig point (there’s only a very modest cairn) would otherwise make this a challenging summit to find in thick cloud.  Carn na Caim (941m; hill of the curve). 

Finally, The Clouds Roll Back!

Today, it was a cool and breezy spot to celebrate a last Munro but we didn’t let that spoil the fun and we toasted the man of the moment in fine style.  As if to join in, the weather suddenly improved markedly and we descended in warm sunshine with splendid views across the A9 towards the Ben Alder group and the Monadhliath hills across the upper Spey valley.

Towser Leads The Gang Down!

That night we celebrated in fine style with a BBQ at Forest Lodge in Glen Tilt (and what a treat it was to be able to drive up it for a change)!  A warm and sunny evening, great company and a Hercules fly-past right over the Lodge all rounded off a great day. 

Man of the Moment!

Thanks everyone!   

Check out my plans for similar walks at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm

Ben Nevis – Fund Raising & Adventure

Sarah’s charity quest, Fiona’s new-found pursuit of random adventures and an active cold front all conspired to provide an enjoyable, if wet, meander up Ben Nevis last weekend.  Brian came along too to lend Sarah some moral support.  Despite the weather – wet & windy throughout and no views to speak of – we managed the summit in reasonable time and were back in time for tea!

There were fewer charity events evident than during my last visit in June but I distinctly remember doing a double-take on passing Bugs Bunny and Minnie Mouse late in the day!

This was Sarah’s first (and probably last) mountain although further challenges await her this year as she continues  her valiant fund-raising activities.  I think the next item on Fiona’s list was sheep shearing….

Good luck ladies!

Three Men And A Dog – Ben Vorlich & Stuc a’Chroin

Ben Vorlich From Ardvorlich

Dave called: “We’re in Stirling for the week; can you suggest a convenient Munro?”  No problem; how about Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin?  This pair of fine Munros on the southern fringe of the Highlands form distinctive shapes that are visible from many miles around.  The flat table-top of the Stuc contrasts well with the shapely cone of Vorlich and the combination of the 2 profiles make the hills easily recognisable from much of the southern Highlands and the Central Belt of Scotland.

Glen Vorlich

We set off from Ardvorlich on the southern shore of Loch Earn in stunning summer weather – Dave, Graham and myself.  Wee Towser also came along to see if there was anything to this Munro game!  Everything is looking so great in the Highlands at the moment and we followed the convenient track up Glen Vorlich through green fields, fresh bracken slopes and leafy woodland with the shapely curves of Ben Vorlich invitingly ahead.  A couple of small burn crossings provided added interest, but no difficulty!  A third one, encountered at the boundary of the open hillside, is always worth a short stop to take in the setting.  A bridge removes any potential difficulty with the crossing!  It’s a nice spot.

Ben Vorlich - Summit Ridge

The clear and well-engineered path led us across the open slopes and up the obvious ridge in front until the summit cone appeared immediately above a short flat section.  Ten minutes later and we were on the delightful short summit ridge of Ben Vorlich (985m; hill of the bay).  Towser bagged his first Munro and eagerly shared his achievement with a lady celebrating her birthday with chocolate biscuits by the trig point.   It was photos all round and then a spot of lunch at the cairn at the other end of the summit ridge 100m SE of the trig point.  We surveyed the wide vista from Ben Nevis, the Ben Lawers group, Schiehallion, the Lomond hills of Fife, the distant Pentlands and most of the Central Belt around to the Campsie Fells, Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps.  Yes, it’s quite a view!

 

Stuc a'Chroin From Ben Vorlich

Now it’s perfectly feasible – some would say sensible – to climb Ben Vorlich, enjoy the view, and then descend leisurely back to the car having enjoyed a fine mountain day.  However, the immediate presence of Stuc a’Chroin right next door and just 2km across a grassy 700m bealach from Ben Vorlich, makes the 2^nd Munro just too tempting.

Ben Vorlich 

So down we went, following the clear path past the rusting fence posts to a slightly boggy Bealach an Dubh Choirein (pass of the black corrie).  A couple of ring ouzels enhanced the scene - a rare sight these days!  Once across, the steep rocky northern buttress of Stuc a’Chroin towered above us.  It’s not that intimidating, or high, for that matter and a scratchy path to your right makes for an entertaining scramble once across the boulder field at the foot of the nose.  Towser need lifting up on a couple of occasions but seemed quite unfussed about the whole experience.  Once up the last greasy gully, the skyline is broached and a cairn marks the sudden end of the mountain's flat summit ridge.   Those preferring to avoid the scramble can take a gentler route up a path to the west of the buttress that avoids all the rock.

Stuc a'Chroin - Summit Ridge

You may want to pause at this cairn, but the actual summit of the mountain is marked by another cairn a further short, flat, ½km to the south – Stuc a’Chroin (975m; peak of the sheepfold).  Again, there are great views in all directions and today, there was absolutely no rush to leave!

Stuc a'Chroin

When we did eventually decide to move on, we took the other path, descending to the west of the northern buttress thereby avoiding the potentially hazardous combination of steep cliffs and border terrier!  Towser was most grateful.  I think.  We were soon back down to the bealach and then traversed the wet, grassy and ankle-twisting bogginess of the NW slopes of Ben Vorlich around into Coire Buidhe until we re-joined our upward route and descended easily to Ardvorlich.

The Wee Man!

And that was our day – and very nice it was too! 

Just ask Towser……    

Check out my plans for similar walks at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm

Assynt & Coigach 2012

Stac Pollaidh

Whilst the rain fell incessantly on most of the UK during the past week (and for countless weeks before that), warm sunshine was the order of the day in the far north-west.  That said, I only have one true hillwalking day to record: the ascent and circumnavigation of that wee jewel of Coigach: Stac Pollaidh.

The Way Up......And Down!

Danielle was new to the Highlands - and to mountains in general - so this seemed to be the ideal place to start.  One of the many joys of this walk is the ever-changing view as you circle the peak.  The path is easy and well-engineered and it only takes about an hour to complete the rising traverse around the eastern end of the hill and gain the skyline.

Ben More Coigach & Loch Lurgainn

Here, the view abruptly changes again and today the complex pattern of the peaks, corries and buttresses of Ben More Coigach could be clearly seen across the shimmering waters of Loch Lurgainn almost 2,000' below us.

The Coigach Peaks From Achnahaird

Having paused to experience the enjoyable view and not-so-enjoyable banal chit-chat of 2 young ladies behind us, we descended on the north side of the peak and regained the circular path which we followed back to the upward route and then down to the car.

Cul Beag & Loch Lurgainn

Further (loud) vocal accompaniment was provided by an American lady member of a guided group in front of us who continued to assail her group, without pause, all the way down!  She was from New Jersey and I know everything about her - as does everybody else who happened upon Stac Pollaidh that day...

Cul Mor

So, no more hills this week, but plenty of opportunities for some great photos of these amazing peaks.  Hope you enjoy them!

View From the Hoose!

Check out my plans for similar walks at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm

Ben More Coigach

Ben Nevis – Snow Almost Gone!

Whilst it poses no problems and is receding and softening all the time, there is still plenty of snow on the upper summit plateau of the Ben. This proved more entertaining than tiresome for 9-yr old Ollie as he led his dad Richard and myself up the big mountain a couple of weekends ago.

Ollie Takes a Rare Breather.

The hill was quite crowded with numerous Three Peaks charity climbs underway and brightly coloured t-shirts proclaiming the different charities were everywhere! We also had the Olympic torch passing through Fort William to contend with so quiet it was not!

Quiet It Was Not!

Good weather, which lasted the whole day, enhanced the experience and it was clear on top (first time for me this year) which brightened even further the triumphant summit atmosphere. Runners, walkers and staggerers posed for photos and 3 young guys retrieved some bagpipes from their rucksacks and proceeded to play appropriate bagpipey tunes.

Bring It On!

Not everyone had a great day though – approaching the half-way point, the prostrate shape of one charity eventer suggested his climb was over. Sure enough, as we passed him his mates had already called for help and the rescue helicopter duly arrived a few minutes later – adding further to young Ollie’s big day out experience!

Rescue Underway!

We were up and down in a little over 6hrs and Ollie was well pleased with himself – as he had every right to be. A most creditable effort for a most engaging young man who now has just 282 Munros to go!

Check out my plans for similar walks at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm