Ten Tips for Hill Walkers and Climbers Now the Clocks Have Turned Back

MCofS News Release 10 November 2011

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is urging hill walkers and climbers to take particular care with preparation when heading out to the hills during the winter months.
Our Ten Point Winter Check List comes as shorter days and adverse weather conditions require preparation for the potential problems that can arise on a winter day or night spent on the Scottish hills.
MCofS Chief Officer, David Gibson, says: "There is a poignant quote that goes: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. Having considered a selection of typical winter pitfalls, the MCofS has developed a Winter Check List which we hope will help hill walkers and climbers to enhance their ability to make good judgements and return home safe from enjoyable days in the mountains."
The MCofS ten point winter check list is:

1. Check your head torch and GPS batteries are in good condition, renew them if they’re fading and always carry a spare set of batteries in your rucksack. Always check that everyone you go on the hill with has a head torch.

2. Carry a mobile phone whenever possible, but be aware that you won’t always get reception in remote places. Register with the SMS Emergency Text Service by visiting www.emergencysms.org.uk.

3. Carry an emergency survival bag or bivvy shelter with you in winter.

4. Check that your crampons fit your boots before using them, and get into the habit of putting them on before you reach icy ground.

5. Carry your ice axe and know how to use it. Why not attend a MCofS Winter Skills Course?

6. Carry a big enough rucksack in winter. Using the same rucksack that you carry in summer is a recipe for an uncomfortable day when you are carrying extra winter kit.

7. Carry sufficient extra layers of clothing in winter. The temperature drops quickly as darkness falls and you should plan for unexpected delays and the possibility that you could be out on the hill for an extended period in the event of an incident.

8. Always check the mountain weather forecast before going out and be prepared to change your plans.

9. Always check the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service avalanche forecast and modify your route when the forecast indicates avalanche conditions on your planned route.

10. Know when to turn back: the summit is only the half-way point of your journey.

MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser, Heather Morning, said: "Now that the clocks have turned back it is time for anyone who goes out onto the Scottish hills in winter to give serious thought to preparing themselves and their kit for the season ahead. If there are one or two points in this list of ten that you hadn’t previously thought about then do something about it before your next trip to the hills."

For further information contact Mike Dales on mike@mcofs.org.uk or go to the MCofS website at: http://www.mcofs.org.uk/mountain-safety.asp

Two days in Glen Carron

With a good weather forecast for earlier in the week I drove up to Achnasheen and stayed at the bunkhouse for two nights. First night on my own and second night two guys from Shrewsbury staying.
Day 1. I walked up Sgorr Ruadh commencing from Achnashellach Station through the woods then up onto a flatter area about 370m and took the left path up to the bealach, then steep climb up slope to the ridge then west to the summit. Great views in all directions and weather forecast spot on.
Day 2.Maol Chean-dearg. Commenced from Coulags taking the path sign posted for Glen Torridon. Followed the path past the bothy for about 1km and picked up path heading west to the bealach with great view of the Corbett, An Ruadh-stac. From the bealach headed north up quartzite scree to plateau then final ascent up sandstone rocks to the summit. Again weather excellent and had similar views from previous day.

Craigallian Fire

I’m writing to you in the hope that your Club would be willing to help us preserve a very important piece of Scottish history and outdoor heritage - the Craigallian Fire.

If you already know something of the Fire, forgive the following history lesson but there seem to be few people, even in mountaineering circles, who know anything of it ! During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Fire was a beacon for young, poor people from Glasgow and Clydebank who, through it, explored wider afield and were introduced to Scotland’s wilderness. It’s location and significance has been forgotten by all but a very few and soon will be lost completely unless the site is commemorated. Those who daily pass by the Fire site in their hundreds on the West Highland Way by Craigallian Loch are unaware of the debt they owe to the original young pioneers who opened up Scotland’s countryside to us all. Some Fire-sitters became prominent figures in the protection of our wild places.

There is a gathering view that a permanent memorial should be erected on the site of the Fire. It is the aim of my brother Bill and I, sons of an original Firesitter and Weekender – Professor Sir Robert (Bob) Grieve - to commemorate all those who sat by its flames gaining warmth, companionship and an awareness of wider horizons - and the potential of the human spirit. The attached electronic version of our hard-copy double-sided A5 information leaflet will give you some more information on the Fire and our project. Please do see our website: http://www.craigallianfire.org.uk/ for further information.

Would your Club be willing to publicise this project amongst your members and help us to raise the funds to erect this memorial and preserve this small but important part of Scotland’s history, which is about to fade into obscurity ? We need to raise about £5,000 to build and maintain the memorial which is designed by the well-known Scottish sculptor Tim Chalk. Any donation will be gratefully received.

Members could make individual donations by cheque or BACS (Acc No 10006869 Sort Code: 80-02-77). If you would prefer to collect monies for a Club donation, this also could be done by cheque or BACS. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Friends of the Craigallian Fire’ and sent to me at my address below. Please let me know which method (Club or individual) you would prefer. If you do make a donation, we would like to list your name on the website as a 'Friend of the Fire' – please let me know if you would prefer this not to be done.

Thank you for your help,
Iain Grieve

Hello, Nevis Hillwalkers--is anybody out there??

Over the last four weeks, there has been an average of less than four members on each walk, with six being the most and one the least. Where is everyone? I know that we all have other responsibilities--work, family, etc., but numbers on walks seem to be falling away. As I have produced the last and current programmes, it occurred to me that maybe I have not given our members, you, what they want. If that is the case, then please let me know. If there are other reasons, then I, for one, would like to know them as well.

As a walking club, we need people to be walking, otherwise the club, your club, will slowly fade away.

Or could it just be the bad weather?--surely not, not Nevis hillwalkers?!

John Burton

Ben Chabhair

I couldn't make the club walk on Saturday, and was keen to get out on Sunday. The weather forecast looked good so I decided to do Ben Chabhair, which hurricane Katia had made impossible the previous weekend. Norman, Mike and Grant, a friend from Glasgow, came with me. It was a steep start from the farm up to the waterfall, and in the heat Grant found this hard going and turned back. It was a lot warmer than forecast, and it never did rain. It was windy on the summit, where we fed the tame ravens with bits of our ' pieces'. We decided to follow the ridge all the way back which was hard going and tiring. But it made a far more interesting route. Another excellent day on the hills.

One dry day and one wet day.

On Thursday morning I drove up to Spittal of Glenmuick and on arriving about 11am was surprised to see that there were over 30 cars in the car park. Obviously a popular place for walking up high or at low level. Set off from the car park heading for Lochnagar. On reaching the spot just below Meikle Pap I got a great view of the Lochnagar cliffs. Have posted a photo above to let you see Andrew what you missed on the club walk. Worth going back on a clear day.
Then up the steep steps before following the corrie ridge to the summit. Descended via the Glas Allt and the waterfall was in full spate then a walk north along  the Loch to the car. Great day and views.

Friday not so lucky. Drove to the car park from Braemar to Glen Tannar and cycled the first 9km then ascended Mount Keen. The rain started shortly after I began and just got progressively worse. On reaching the summit there was a gale force wind coming from the south and I made a quick retreat back down to my bike then to the car.
What a difference bewteen the two days weather wise and I guess you have to take the bad days with the good ones when you are ticking off the Munros.

Glen Lighe Bothy

Glen Dubh Lighe bothy has burnt down. For details please follow the link below
http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/news-general-item.asp?item_id=299

Alan Moore

This weekend in Glenshee

A few of us are heading off to Glenshee for the club weekend away. We may be few in number but we have a great weekend of walking planned. If anyone wishes to join us for the day we will be tackling Lochnagar on Saturday and Ben Gulabin through to The Cairnwell on Sunday. If you do wish to join us give me a ring or send a text to 07740 698173 and I will confirm logistics.

 

See you on the hills soon!

 

Andrew B

Barbecue Munro Quiz

To add a little bit of amusement to proceedings at Sunday's Club barbecue, I devised a 20 question quiz which everyone got involved in. Gerry came out on top and graciously shared around the winning chocolates.

What amazed me was how difficult the quiz was - it's totally different compiling questions when you have the reference books in front of you to note down the answers.

Some participants left behind their answers sheets and I got a few laughs from some of the answers :

Q : Who wrote the Old Man of Lochnagar ?
A : Prince Charles - other answers ranged from The Corries,Paul McCartney,

to Robert Burns !

Q : What is the name of the demoted Munro at the Rest and be Thankful ?
A : Beinn an Lochain. Stuck for gaelic words one participant answered " Ben Blether " !!

Q : What is "Culicoides Impunctatus " ?
A : A midge ( or Highland Midge).

Some answers received :
" A rescue helicopter that arrives late " !!
"Something Nasty" !!
"A bacteria causing occasional diarrhoea " !!

Q : Which type of aircraft crashed on Beinn Eighe in 1952 ?
A : Lancaster

The best answer was " a UFO " - and this was suitably illustrated on the answer sheet !!

Thanks everyone for entering into the spirit of the event, and for the humour, which I greatly enjoyed.

My Last Munro – Sgurr MicChoinnich, 12 August 2011

Congratulations to Cris, who 'compleated' the munros on Friday. She sent me this report.


I had hoped to have completed my round of the Munros on Sunday (* see In Pin blog report from Les) but it was not to be. My next chance was on the Friday, just me with a guide. The mwis forecast seemed favourable with 80% cloud clear and light winds but of course Skye has to be different.

We set off from the beach carpark and were up in Coire Lagan in no time at all. We had a quick stop to put on waterproofs, it had started to drizzle, the wind was blowing strongly and cloud was on the tops. A quick drink of water and we were off again, up the south side of the Great Stone Chute of Sgurr Alasdair, cutting across to the other side below the crags and some ‘interesting’ scrambling! to emerge onto Collie’s Ledge. (I’ll leave those interested to look up Munro Magic etc for descriptions and photos as per http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/33308 ) All I can say is that I’m glad it was misty and I couldn’t see what was either below or above! I confess to couple of squeals * once when my boots lost their grip on wet basalt. My guide, Lochy, was excellent, keeping a good hold of me and positively hauling me up some bits. When we finally got onto the last stretch of the ridge, I was all for giving up but Lochy would have none of it. We touched the stones at the top (no time for photographs) then beat a hasty retreat back down to our rucksacks, a march along the ridge and down to the start of the An Stuc Screes where we had our first stop of the day. I had only enough time to take off my harness and eat half a sandwich before we were off again down the screes to the Lochan where we had a proper stop. By this time we were thoroughly wet in the now steady rain. Celebrated by sharing my flask of coffee and finishing off my sandwich. Then it was a quick sprint down to the car.

The choice of route for the day was to try to avoid the winds on the ridge, we were fortunate to get a lull, and the pace set was to ensure that we kept warm – Lochy even carried my rucksack and dragged me along on a rein so that we could get off that ridge asap – 4 ½ hours from start to finish. Certainly a day to remember – I think I might feel tired every time I think about it!

I would highly recommend Skye Hi guides to anyone like myself who is a little ‘rock shy’ and it is thanks to my guide’s stalwart efforts that I made it this time. My thanks too to all those whose company I have enjoyed on various other hills.

What next? Time to spare to join others in their quests and to explore the Outer Isles on my bike.

InPin Photos

I tried to add photos to original report, without success. Below are two photos.
1. InPin
2. Cris after her abseil

Chairty Event looking for help on the Ben

Capability Scotland is looking for volunteers with mountain rescue experience to help out with a unique challenge event taking place on Ben Nevis on 20th August 2011.

The Bowmore Ben Nevis Challenge, sponsored by Bowmore, the first Islay Single Malt whisky, will involve teams of disabled and non-disabled people working together to conquer Britain’s highest peak.
The teams will be guided by ex-SAS officer and TV presenter, Ken Hames, who was also the man behind the original 2008 challenge which saw the UK’s first wheelchair led ascent of Ben Nevis.
All the money raised from the event will go towards Capability’s work campaigning with and supporting disabled people of all ages at home, in work and at school. But the event is not just about raising valuable funds, as Capability’s Director of External Affairs, Richard Hamer, explains: “As well as challenging the people participating in the event, we also want to challenge people’s expectations of what is possible. In Scotland we have some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK and disabled people, just like non disabled people want the opportunity to explore and enjoy every part of the country, an opportunity which they are not always given.”
Capability is now looking for enthusiastic and energetic individuals who have mountain rescue experience, such as First Aid or Mountain Leadership qualifications to help out on the day.
Duties will range from accompanying the teams as they climb Ben Nevis or being positioned at different stages on the mountain, monitoring teams’ progress.
Capability fundraiser, Suzanne O-Hara added: “This is a great opportunity to get involved in an event that not only has the potential to raise vital funds to support disabled people across Scotland but also to highlight the opportunities that are out there for disabled people to get involved in the outdoors.” “If you are free on 19th and 20th August and have mountaineering or mountain rescue experience we’d love to hear from you.”
If you would like to volunteer please contact Suzanne O-Hara on 07787536658 or 01313471044

Success on the InPin

Last Saturday I drove up to Skye with a friend, Stewart to meet Cris Bonomy at the Glen Brittle Hostel. We arrived about 6.30pm in glorious sunshine and the Cuillin were looking majestic with the clear blue sky in the background.
On Sunday morning we met up with the guide that Cris has been out with before, though on this visit he was taking a day off and his colleague Lochy was going to be our guide for the day. The original plan was to climb Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and The InPin though because of the weather forecast a final decision would be made later. We set off about 9am from the Memorial Hut and followed the path until we reached the path that you take east to Sgurr Dearg. Lochy decided at the junction that we would go for the InPin first as the black clouds were rolling in and sure enough, when we got up onto west shoulder Sgurr Dearg the rain came on and after a short while the waterproofs went on. As we gained height we were in the clouds and as the paths narrowed with steep drops, maybe just as well  you could not see them. Before we knew it we were at the ridge facing the InPin as Lochy had us going at a fast pace.

Had an energy bar and drink before putting our helmet and harness on, then slowly down the stone and scree slope to the east ridge of the InPin to be given our last minute instructions before being roped up and then commencing the climb. Lochy pointed out the lower part of the route as he went first followed by Stewart, Cris then myself. The climb was a bit of a haze for me as I was so focused in looking for the hand and foot holds and the wet rock did not make it easy. We reached the half way mark and had a few minutes rest and a wee chat and encouraging each other and it would not be long before we reached the summit. The second pitch was easier though more exposed with just one tricky part near the top which we all managed without too much bother. Next we were on the summit then  sitting on the ledge getting instructions for the abseil. Stewart went first and got down with no problems then Cris was next. Because she had not done an abseil before she was fairly tense and Lochy and I knew when she had reached solid ground as the screams stopped which must have been heard back at the Glen Brittle Hostel. I went next and for me was the highlight of the day.
We went up to the ridge where our rucksacks were, had lunch congratulated each other and because of the wet weather the guide decided that we would miss out Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and just descend the way we came up.
We went to the Carbost Inn for a celebration drink,where we met Sarah and her Mum who were up in Skye for the weekend attending a wedding. A great day and Cris was pleased that she did the InPin as she thought she might only achieve Sgurr Dearg, though the guide was having none of that.
Because of the weather and the speed we were doing I did not take any photos though Stewart managed a few and when I get them I will post one as proof that we did do the climb.

Fisherfield in 3 Parts

This trip report comes from Cris Bonomy who recently did the Fisherfield Six...

Being neither a camper nor a bothyperson I divided my assault of the Fisherfield into three separate day trips.
Saturday July 30th, I ticked off my remaining 3, Beinn Tarsuinn, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair and Sgurr Ban. This sortie had been planned for the Sunday of the Achnasheen w/e, but with the weather due to break, I selfishly went a day early with only one of the proposed 3 companions.
On a blistering hot day, midges and clegs enjoying right royal feasts, we (Roy and I) set off from Incheril, Kinlochewe taking bikes as far as 1½ km short of Lochan Fada. Thanks to Roy’s height and biking experience, we were able to negotiate a couple of high deer gates. With such good visibility we headed straight for Beinn Tarsuinn, then picking up paths did the next 2. The downside of this route is having to climb Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair twice!
Having complained bitterly about dragging the bikes so far in, the ride out was sweet and with enough time for a well earned pint at the Kinlochewe Hotel.

Sunday July 24th, I stayed at Carn Dearg, Gairloch, SYHA. From Poolewe I cycled to the far edge of Kernsary forest and from there walked to A'Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mhor. As I was on my own and cloud was rolling around the tops, I didn’t do the ridge on A’M but stayed on the paths to the bealach between the two hills. A very long but most satisfying day.

Saturday 7th May, was my first sortie, starting from Coirre Hallie and walking the route to Beinn a' Chlaidheimh. (Remember to think about the level of water in the River Sealga.) Although only one Munro on this trip, it gave a good taster of what was to come in distances to cover and the general lie of the land.

Often regarded as ‘much prized’ amongst Munro baggers, they are best saved for a good day to savour the full grandeur and I was fortunate enough to have managed that for all except A'Mhaighdean.

1st Ever Wild Camp

Last Wednesday I set off from Milngavie about 6.45am to Dalwhinnie. Parked the car and cycled in laden with tent and all the add ons. Arrived near the Bothy at Culra,set up tent had lunch then climbed Geal-Charn and Carn Dearg. The clouds and mist had lifted and the views were excellent. Arrived at tent about 6pm and had dinner!! about 7pm. Went for a walk though in bed by 9.30 and slept sound till 8pm.
Prefer tent as sleeping on grass is a bit softer than the hard board in a Bothy.

Next morning I climbed Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil though the weather was not as good with mist and cloud hanging around till after lunch. Got back to tent about 3pm, had food then took tent down and packed bags for the cycle back to Dalwhinnie. Set off for home about 6pm and home for 8pm. A great two days, as back in Glasgow it rained. managed to get the best of the weather and good experience for tackling the Fisherfield 6  sometime in the future.

First munro

Yesterday I took Peter and Douglas dog up their first munro. Peter has climbed a couple of corbetts and the pap of glencoe and was keen to do a munro. Douglas is 9 months now and I was hoping he was up to a good walk.

I chose one still on my list that has the least ascent and distance - Meall Buidhe in Glen Lyon. I had heard the views were spectaular on a good day, and they didn't disappoint. From the summit we could see across Rannoch Moor to Stob Ghabar, Buachaille Etive Mor, Ben Nevis, and further north. All the summits were laid out infront of us like a model of Scottish hills. I can't wait to go back to the area and do Stuchd an Lochain.

Hillwalking in England

After my Irish & Welsh expeditions, all that remained was to bag the 6 peaks in England listed by the SMC as being over 3000 feet.

I climbed Scafell on a very busy day down at Wast Water with many participants in the 3 Peaks Challenge, however my route up Green How soon got me away from the crowds. A descent down the ravine at Foxes Tarn and then a further 300m ascent saw me on Scafell Pike in time to witness two rescues, with two helicopters involved. It made for quite a noisy day ! A quick trip to Broad Crag and Ill Crag was required before a descent back to Wast Water over Lingmell.

To complete what is known as "The Furths" in Munro's Tables, I did another ascent of Helvellyn one sunny afternoon, and the following morning plodded up Skiddaw with my wife to complete the list. The photo above shows that some fizz was consumed to celebrate !

Well, that's it - all 545 peaks listed in Munro's Tables as being 3000+ feet successfully climbed, many in Scotland in the company of Nevis members.

Did somebody mention Corbetts ? Just don't tell my wife who says "NO MORE LISTS" .......

Hillwalking in Wales

After my Irish trip in May, I decided to continue my quest to bag all the 3000 foot mountains in Britain & Ireland with a trip to Wales, combining this with a touring holiday by caravan.

There are 15 peaks in Wales credited with being at least 3000 feet, and if you are sufficiently masochistic it's possible to do them all in one massive 20 hour expedition, but I decided to break the task down to three managable days of 6 - 8 hours each. Day One I tackled the classic Snowdon Horseshoe route, up Crib Goch, along over the pinnacles to Crib y Ddysgl, then on to Snowdon itself (large numbers of people who had come up by train !) and then finally over Y Lliwedd to complete the circle. A very enjoyable day in pleasant sunshine. The second photo shows the Crib Goch pinnacles (very similar to parts of the Aonach Eagach) and Snowdon on the skyline.

Day 2 I climbed the Glyders starting with Tryfan, and the first photo shows the extent of the North Ridge - which I didn't take on, preferring the Llyn Bochlwyd approach. A further 4 peaks were traversed, all over rocky terrain for a 19k walk with 1800m of ascent.

And then finally Day 3 was over the Carneddau, seven peaks in a long line (with an out-and-back excursion to one of them). My wife dropped me just up from the A55 road near the North Coast and came to pick me up when I finished the 23k at Llyn Ogwen.

There were rainy days in between, but I was very lucky to pick three days when I only had one shower of 5 minutes, which seemed to contrast with the weather being reported back in Scotland !

Eilean a'Cheo

Skye certainly lived up to its reputation as the misty isle last weekend. I met Cris, her friend Alastair, and our guide Graham (Skye-Hi) at 9pm at Sligachan and we headed into the clouds. Our main goal was Am Basteir so we climbed up to Sgurr a Bhasteir and along the somewhat slippery ridge. We had no views, but I suspect the drop was far greater than we imagined, and I was somewhat thankful not to see the full extent of it. We hid our bags and Graham took myself and Alastair along to Bruach na Frithe.

Back to Cris, our bags, and a quick bite to eat before following a faint scree path on the north side of the ridge. Looking up to our right we could just make out the Am Basteir tooth looming above. Having lost some height we then turned back on ourselves and started to climb once more, up the east ridge of Am Basteir. We had to negotiate lots of wet slabs, short scrambles and a "bad step" before reaching the summit (which was marked by a slighlty disappointing handful of stones).

We retraced our steps back down and continued east to the Bealach a Bhasteir. Here I left Cris and Alastair, and Graham attached a rope to me. Then came the difficult (scary) bit. With Graham leading we climbed up a chimney, and then along the ridge. There are no words to describe this. It was somewhere between scrambling and climbing, and quite the most terrifying thing I have ever done. There was one point where I was 'this close' to calling it a day. However we got round, over and under all the rocks which stood in our way and soon reached the summit of Sgurr nan Gillean. I had an adrenalin fueled grin on my face when we returned to the others. It took some time before relief to be back turned into excitement about what I had just achieved.

Another amazing day in the cuillins. Perhaps one day I will do Sgurr nan Gillean from the more usual NE ridge, and peek over looking west and say "I came up that way last time"!

Braemar Trip

On Monday evening I drove up to Braemar to stay at the Hostel and do a couple of days hillwalking.

On Tuesday I cycled up the track from Linn of Dee to the Derry Lodge where I left my bike. From the Lodge I headed north up a path through the forest then picked a spot to head north east to Beinn Bhreac through thick heather. Reached summit in mist. From there headed north over 4km of bog to the summit of  Beinn a' Chaorainn. Just as I reached the summit the mist lifted and had splendid views all round. From here I dropped down south west to the Lairig an Laoigh, cut across heathery ground to pick the path up that headed west, passing the memorial hut up to Loch Eichachan. From there headed south to Derry Cairngorm then south west to Derry Lodge. It had been a big climb from Lairg an Laoigh to Derry Cairngorm of 455 metres.
On day 2. I again took bike to Derry Lodge and headed west to Lairg Ghru then Corrour Bothy and took the path behind the bothy to the summit of The Devil's Point. It was sunny all day and had great views in all directions. Back the same route then home.

Aonach Eagach

I joined the club this week to navigate the Aonoch Eagach ridge and what a great time I had. It was a hard but satisfying day but tired legs were forgotten as we gradually put each difficult, and there are many, problems behind. It was much harder than I remembered, I'm sure someones been adding bits on. Sitting on the first top, Am Bodach, the cloud rolled in and blotted out the terrific views and I thought that was it but just as quickly they rolled away and luckily kept away all day. So we had the best day possible, great views and the most exciting scrambles. There is, of course, two Munros but they come well down the list of achievement. This was my fourth traverse of the ridge and I don't know if there will be a fifth but if it is my last time I signed off on a high ( should be on the programme every year)

Settings

Until recently I was unable to publish a post.I discovered that by going into settings once you have gone into the blog you then scroll down to Global settings. Click on Updated Editor(recommended). This will take you away from old editor and everything should be ok.
Les

200th Munro

Hi All

I was out on the club walk last Sunday and joined the group that climbed Beinn Eibhinn and Aonach Beag, the latter being my 200th. At the summit we celebrated with a small dram from my hip flask. It was a great day weather wise, though when I will finish doing them all, I do not know.

Les

Weather forecast

Where we live the weather is always a topic of conversation. There are loads of sites offering weather forecasts, I'm sure you've got your favourite. I tend to go by the Mountain Weather Information Service for a reliable short term hill forecast, and the met office for a 5 day general forecast.
Here's a link to a longer term forecast that might prove useful when planning a week ahead.
http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/Scotland/Fort_William/long.html Thanks to Cris for passing this on to us. There's a surprise, next week is forecast for rain!

More on Blog problems

A search with Google reveals that lots of people are  having problems adding comments, especially since last month  ! See this link for example.


There are two suggested fixes in this page  -

1) change the comment form style to use a "full page form". I have done this.

2) blog users should permit "third party cookies" in the browser. To do this, click on "Edit", then "Preferences" and "accept third party cookies".



Could people try this and let me know how they get on. It would be useful, if you could also say which browser (Firefox, Opera,IE,...) you are using and whether you allow third party cookies.


                                   Thanks

Blog Problems

I'd like to comment on some of the recent posts, but having technical difficulties. Ron has made some suggestions, but I'm still unable to add a comment, although I can add a new post, such as this.
It's not really a problem, I just wanted bloggers to know that's the reason I can't say "Well Done" when members provide details of exciting outings, e.g. Ron, Sarah etc !!

On Top of the Cuillin

Several years ago, I wrote a piece for the club newsletter, describing a day in Skye with Andrew, Gerry and Wesley. We climbed up the Sgumain Stone Chute and on to Sgurr Sgumain. The plan was to reach Sgurr Alistair (Andrew knew an easy route over !) but the conditions were awful - we never saw more than 10 metres all day and everything was dripping wet - so we gave up, despite being only 170 metres from the summit of Sgurr Alistair,  and descended to Coir a  Ghrunnda. Clearly unfinished business.

So last Sunday, I returned with Cris, Sarah and Graham Paterson. The plan was to do Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alistair. It meant that I missed the club walk on the Five Sisters of Kintail which is one of my favourite walks but that is Munro-bagging for you. We set off from the Glen Brittle camp-site at 8am and traversed round to Coir a Ghrunnda. Then, instead of the usual path, hugging the cliffs on the left, we followed a route up through the boiler-plate slabs and ended up south of the lochan. Then it was up a huge stone-filled gully on to the ridge and out to Sgurr nan Eag. One down, two to go !

Back along the ridge, cross over to the east side of the Caisteal, up to Sgurr Dubh an da Bheinn and out to Sgurr Dubh Mor. The scrambling was getting serious now - a succession of narrow exposed ledges and steep stony gullies but we all made it to the summit. Two down, one to go !

Return to Da Bheinn by the same route, then contour round Coir a Ghrunnda, keeping right up next to the cliff so as not to lose height. A stop for lunch and a welcome rest. Up yet more stone fields,  a dark, wet chimney, several more narrow ledges (dont even want to think about the drops !) and scrambles. Then the slope eased off a little and we were in a steep, stony gully which led us straight to the tiny summit of Sgurr Alistair. No real cairn (not enough room) - just an insignificant little pile of stones.  Then scramble along a narrow exposed ridge  down to the top of the Great Stone Chute. Sarah and Graham went off for a look at the TD Gap. Cris and I just sat down, glad of a rest. Sarah found Mike Pescod of Abacus Mountaineering at the TD Gap with a large group who were doing the Ridge Traverse. I gather she told him we were Nevis Hillwalkers - not clear whether he was impressed or horrified to find us in such a place .

Then it was down the Great Stone Chute. All I can say about this, is that I might recommend it, some day,  to someone whom I really don't like. But it got us to Coire Lagan and into tourist territory.

Clearly, a fantastic day out - maybe even better than the Five Sisters.

Lochan a Coir a Grunnda

Coruisk

Sgurr nan Eag Summit

Coruisk

Coruisk

Thanks from our guest...

I loved it, I had a great day,
I found it all very well organised, met everyone at the start point, arranged for cars to be dropped off at finish and then got started on the walk just after 10am. The tops were in mist at this point and everyone hoping that it would lift, which it did. Had a fantastic day with stunning views. It was so nice to meet everyone and hear of all the different backgrounds and interests. Obviously I was a bit apprehensive of meeting everyone and whether or not I would be able to keep up but, it all went great, even although there was a variety of fitness levels it all worked perfectly. Everyone was so nice and friendly and welcomed me, I felt at ease immediately.
Then at the end of the day to have a well earned refreshment and discuss the day was so nice and relaxing.
I would certainly like to come along on walks again but due to usual time issues this may not be too frequent but I would love to join the club if this sort of membership would be considered.
Sincere thanks for a wonderful day.
Kind regards
Diane

Half way - only 141 to go!

On Sunday Ron, Jimmy and I set off to join the Glen Affric Walking Festival. We met at Morvich just after 8am. Jimmy and I had stayed overnight in the motorhome to avoid an early drive. By 8.30am we had tied the rucksacs onto the roof of the landrovers and 16 of us headed off to Killilan and privileged access all the way to Iron Lodge.

Our aim was to climb Mullach a Dheirgain, one of the Glen Affric hills. It was a clear dry day, with high cloud and a lovely cooling breeze. On the way up the ridge we stopped to discuss orchids and kestrels, and higher up watched a golden eagle circling over the ridge.

We reached our summit in good fettle and the ridge infront of us was just too tempting not to carry on. A leisurely stroll along the ridge, and a final pull of 300m steep ascent saw us on Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan, our second munro of the day, and my number 142. Reflecting on this number makes me think of many wonderful days and experiences I'd never have had if not for munro bagging. Ticking a list may not be everybodys cup of tea, but it has taken me to some wonderfully wild spots.

We continued to give us a circular walk back to the track. We are told that we passed several munro tops, but skirted round them (too late in the day for any more ascent). My GPS logged the trip as 20.9km, 1449m ascent, taking 9 1/2 hours but my legs tell me it was more than that! A quick cup of Jack's homemade soup in the motorhome before heading home finished off another excellent day on the hills.

Stob Coire Easain

Summer is here, and it's time for the silly hat. I'm sure most Lochaberites have done these two hills before, but they were new to me. The weather was excellent, if a little too hot! Super views all round.

Hillwalking in Ireland

Scottish hillwalkers will feel at home in Ireland - the main mountain range, The Macgillycuddy's Reeks is very similar to much of our own territory. It's situated just a few miles from Killarney which I used as my base.

The SMC recognise 10 peaks here over 3000 feet, and I set out to climb them over 2 days. It was quite a windy period (May 2011) and there were days with heavy rain, but I was fortunate enough to choose two days when the sun shone and the winds died down.

My first day was on a walk known as the Coomloughra Horseshoe where the main excitement is the rather exposed ridge between Beenkeragh (1010m) and Carrauntoohil ( at 1039m, the highest in Ireland). Along the way one needs to scramble over The Tooth (sometimes called Knockoughter), and the top photograph shows the connecting ridge with The Tooth in the middle, and Carrauntoohil on the left. After that it's an easy traverse to Caher and its West Top, making 5 "Irish Munros" in all.

After a few days waiting for the wind to subside I set off to do the other 5 peaks on what is known as the Eastern Reeks. Starting at Cronin's Yard (a small farmyard with a tearoom) I clambered up The Bone, to Maolan Bui, headed out to Cnoc an Chuillin and then enjoyed the ridge on the way to the aptly named Big Gun. This part of the ridge reminded me a bit of The Saddle. From The Big Gun it was only about 400 metres to the final peak, Cruach Mhor but I found it really tricky with huge slabs which all seemed to lead you out to precarious downclimbs which I didn't feel comfortable with, so it took rather longer than anticipated. Apparently the walk is much easier tackled in the other direction.

So that concluded my 2 days in the Reeks. Before that I'd meandered around Ireland, bagging the other 3 "Munros" , Lugnaquillia, Galtymore and Brandon Mountain, perched way out on the Dingle peninsula, but they weren't really very exciting.

Incidentally, Trail magazine in this month's feature claim that there are 14 peaks over 3000ft, but the odd one is just a little bump on the Eastern Reeks ridge which I passed over in any case.

The second photograph taken from the summit of Cnoc na Peiste shows the ridge leading to The Big Gun (right) and Cruach Mhor (Left) with the very large cairn , and little shrine built by a local.

Ireland is a good destination for a holiday, a bit expensive but that's improving, and weather very similar to our own. Go on, try it !!

Club Walks – Where is our Commitment and Organisation?

There was a time when members of this “small friendly Lochaber based club” would turn out regularly in any weather and do a walk in or on the hills, even if it was not the hill on the programme. This was because they “shared a passion for the local countryside, the Scottish hills…”.  They enjoyed being outdoors, and each other’s company.

Sadly, these days are long gone. The Nevis Hillwalking Club has moved on and the majority of the active members have different priorities. On Saturday 28th May, Gerry and I turned out for the Glen Shiel day.  The forecast was not good, and once again, there was nobody at the meeting places, the Fort and Spean Bridge. There was no coordinator rostered for the day to ring for information. In view of the cold wet and windy weather forecast for the west, we decided to do one of “eastern alternatives” that had appeared on a previous programme, Creag Dubh at Kingussie. It was a good sunny day, very cold but with only the occasional shower.

Soon after starting the walk, Ralph phoned to say he was waiting for other members in Glen Shiel. I explained what had happened. He had been staying in the area for a few days. Had we known this we would have gone to Glen Shiel.

It is clear, that with fewer people turning out regularly and no regular social events, information about Club activities is not being passed around.  A coordinator for each walk day is more essential than ever. For what it is worth, the information I passed on to the new committee was as follows:

The 14 coordinators on the list were emailed asking them to name their preferences for the 2nd Quarter programme that had just been circulated. There were three replies:

Norman Wares volunteered for June 5th, Ben Lomond. He will meet members at Rowardennan Pier.

John Burton’s first choice was June 25th, Aviemore.

Stuart Moralee was not able to give a specific day but would coordinate at short notice if he were available.

Since then:

I have volunteered for 3rd July, Glen Spean.
Gerry Gilbert has volunteered for 9th July, Glencoe.

Andrew Gilbert

Last Two Weekends

Andrew sent me the following contributions intending them to be walk reports. But you cannot have a walk report without doing the walk -

                                  No walk - No report !

So here they are, in the club blog  -

Saturday 14th May 2011 – A day on Skye missed

The forecast was awful and three members were on a course at Glenmore Lodge. Andrew G., Gerry and Wesley turned up at the Fort. Unfortunately, I had injured my hand and it wouldn’t stop bleeding so I decided to go to A & E to have it stitched up. Wesley went on alone to Spean Bridge but texted to say that no one else was there either. He decided to go bird watching instead of going to Skye.

Later, Gerry and I decided on a short walk to the C.I.C hut and back. Almost there at about 14h00 two guys overtook us, one of whom enquired “Are you doing both of them?”. “Both of what?” I asked. “ Both Munros” he said. I explained that we were enjoying an afternoon stroll. The pair pulled ahead and I pondered their assumption that the only reason for walking in the hills is to bag Munros. Sad really.

Shortly after this, I fell over and burst open the wound on my hand. I decided to go home to fix it, rather than return to A & E. They would not be amused. Should have just gone to Skye.

Andrew G

Sunday 22nd May – Another day missed

The forecast was awful, 90 mph gusts in the afternoon with blizzards on the summits. It was raining hard. Gerry and I found no one at Glencoe car park. There was no coordinator rostered to contact for information, and we had no idea whether other members would be meeting at Achallader Farm. We decided to stay in Glencoe and do the Two Lairigs, setting off clockwise in the Lairig Gartain, following Martine’s new path. Thick cloud in the glen cleared at the watershed, and we contoured around the spine of Buchaille Etive Beag, high above Glen Etive, with a fine view southward. Ducking below some crags we gained the Lairig Eilde path and were soon at another watershed.

A short distance further on we met a guy in shorts, coming the other way, the rain streaming off his cagoule. “How was it at the top?” he asked. “Cold, wet and windy, same as here” I replied, somewhat puzzled, and asked him where he was going. “Buchaille Etive Beag, that’s it over there isn’t it” he replied, pointing to the col on the south-east ridge of Stob Coire Sgreamhach. I realised he was assuming we were bagging Munros too, and pointed out the location of his day’s objective, looming above our heads. “I’ll just do Sgreamhach instead then” he said, “I need that one too.  Where is the summit?”.  He didn’t produce a map so I gave him brief directions and off he went.

Sad really, and a bit worrying. There are a lot of them out there.

Andrew G

Mountain Aid Fundraiser - Schiehallion longest day event

Dear Hill Walking/Climbing Club
Our next fundraising event is drawing near, and we would appreciate it you could circulate the information to your members in the hope that some of them and their friends might join us for a midsummer get together to watch the sun rise on Schiehallion and raise a wee bit of money for Mountain Aid. We understand the pressure on everyone’s pockets these days and so are only asking for a minimum sponsorship sum of £50 – which will get participants a t-shirt as well as a sunrise toast and canapés on the hill!! A poster is attached and there is more information on our website at http://www.mountainaid.org.uk/events/midsummer where on line registration is available.
Mountain Aid Committee

Lost Dog

A lady phoned today to ask if we could keep our eyes open for a lost dog. It went missing on Sunday morning on the Kinlochleven to Fort William stretch of the WHW. It is a brown terrier called Davie. Please contact me on 01855 821277 if you have any news.

Model T Ford on Ben Nevis

As you are probably aware there is an attempt being made to carry a Model T Ford to the summit of Ben Nevis on 18th of May to celebrate the centenary of car being driven to the summit in 1911.
The above event is being organised by the John Muir Trust and the Model T Ford Registry of Great Britain.
We have managed to get over 60 volunteers to help carry the dismantled car to the summit, but feel that we need a few more!!
Would any members of Nevis Hillwalkers be interested in lending a hand ?
If you require any further information ,please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or mobile on 07771 532370
Cheers Spook

Charity Hillwalk Challenge

I am sending you information on a charity hillwalk challenge that we are undertaking next month, helping wheelchair athlete Kenny Herriot to the top of Broad Cairn.
Kenny is an enormous character and since being confined to a wheelchair has undertaken many unusual challenges, this will be his first Munro, and we are looking for enthusiastic people to help him. The two charities which will benefit are Shopmobility Aberdeen and the North East Disabled Veterans Association, both small charities who do enormous works with very small funds.
If you, or any of your members require any further information please feel free to contact me.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give to promote our challenge.
Best regards
Paula Bisset
01224 630009

New Walks Programme

As we are about half way through the current programme, I am hoping that some (or all!) of you will give me some ideas for walks for the next quarter, July/August/September. The daylight hours will still be long, so the walks can also be long, the drives long, or not. Just let me know your favourites or ones that you have not done, but would like to. You can email me or see me on a walk.

John Burton

Walk, Sat. 14 May

As the email to all members is no longer working, I am using the blog to let you know that I will not be out on the next walk as my wife and I are going on holiday to the Isle of Arran for one week.

It is possible that there will be no-one from Oban on this walk, as Ralph is going on a GPS course, along with Martine and Ken, and Ian and Sue are away.

John Burton

Summmmer?

I know Jean's probably been in them since Boxing Day but Saturday was my first walk in shorts. That says something about the weather doesn't it? Thankfully there are no photos to scare you with..

Kev.

Jungfrau Map

I've arrived home from the Loch Leven Hotel talk with an extra map, of Jungfrau. Let me know if it belongs to you and I'll post it on. Or perhaps it came from the hotel library ?

Meall Glas, Sunday 20 Feb. 2011

Meall Glas, Sunday 20 Feb. 2011--

Once again, the weather forecast threw a spanner in the works of the scheduled walk. The walk was supposed to be on the Saturday, but the forecast was for strong winds and snow, with blizzards possible. It looked very likely that it would be dangerous to try to even get to the start point in Glen Dochart. So we chose to give it a miss, and try on Sunday instead, which had a much better forecast.

By we, I mean Ralph, Sue, Bruce and me. Sunday did look much better and the drive was uneventful, although there was a little snow at the roadside (from Saturday?).

The start of the walk was up fairly easy slopes, with the snow level low down. As we went higher, the snow became deeper, which was hard going. It didn't help when I walked across a flat area of snow to discover that it covered a deep, water-filled hole. Cold, wet feet after only less than an hour!

We were navigating by map and compass as all the hills were covered with cloud. Then we came across some footprints that were going in our direction (there had been a couple of cars at the start point). As they had kindly broken trail for us, we decided to follow them, while constantly checking that they were still going our way! Nevertheless, the going was still hard work and it became steeper and craggier. We were using our ice-axes, but did not need crampons as the snow was very soft.

Close to the top, we met our three trail-blazers coming down. They had been contemplating doing Sgiath Chuill as well, (as had we), but decided against it as there was the possibility of avalanche.

The summit was windy and cold, so we beat a hasty retreat to find somewhere for a break. Then it was down, following the tracks again. Another Munro to add to the lists of Ralph, Sue and Bruce ( I had already done this hill, but years ago in much better conditions). Altogether a successful, but viewless day.

John Burton

Email Lists

 I am sorry to report that the club email lists (NHCmembers and NHCcommittee) no longer work. Any emails sent to them disappear without trace. They will not be delivered. I am not sure exactly when this change happened but I would recommend that any emails sent on or after Monday 31st January be re-sent by other means.

With hindsight, this was bound to happen sooner or later. The lists depended on email features provided by my Internet Service Provider - Freedom2 Surf, who  have  been swallowed up by Talk Talk Business, a very much larger company and they have  "consolidated" their email services. When I signed up with Freedom2Surf  (5 or 6 years ago), they promoted themselves as "an ISP for IT professionals" and provided a more functional service that most other ISPs but without the marketing gizmos (six free downloads from Itunes etc !). In today's Internet, this is probably not a viable business model. Nowadays, it is all about numbers of customers and very large numbers (millions) at that.

I am investigating alternative ways of providing the mail list facility.

Nevis Hillwalking Club Evening Meeting

The Nevis Hillwalking Club is holding an evening meeting, open to all, at the Loch Leven Hotel, Old Ferry Road, North Ballachulish, on Thursday 3rd March 2011 at 19h30.  This is an opportunity for a sociable evening for members and their friends and acquaintances.  The main subject of the evening will be:-


                            “Climbing the Munros and Munro Tops”


        An illustrated talk by Norman Wares, our latest “Compleat Munroist”

Norman joined the Nevis Hillwalking Club in 2006.  He has now climbed all 283 Munro summits, and the 227 subsidiary Tops.  He is keen to make this presentation as a way of thanking the Club and its members for all the support given to him over these past few years.


Norman has numerous photographs, many featuring Club members.  He will show pictures of the more interesting outings that led up to his completion of the main summits, and then describe what was involved in bagging the Tops.  He is aware that his audience will include hillwalkers more experienced than him as well as others who aspire to meet the challenge of finishing the Munros, and has prepared his presentation accordingly.

All members, past and present, members of other clubs and anyone who shares our interest in the Scottish Hills are welcome.  The Hotel will make no charge for the use of the room, and hopes therefore that participants will avail themselves of refreshments from the bar.

Andrew Gilbert (Chairman)

Beinn Dubhchraig--alternative walk, Sunday 30 Jan.

The forecast was for strong winds and low cloud, so to avoid possible disappointment after a long drive to Drumochter, Ralph and I decided to try nearer to home. Beinn Dubhchraig and Ben Oss seemed like a good idea.

We arrived at Dalrigh just after 8 am, having driven through some sleet showers. But the weather at Tyndrum was OK, so we followed the track towards the hills looking for the bridge over the Allt Coire Dubhchraig. After a short distance, the bridge had not materialised, so we crossed the river on the rocks, joining a path on the other side. Here we were walking through the lovely remnant of the old Caledonian pine forest, which seemed to make the walking easier.

Coming out of the forest on to the floor of the coire, we encountered the first of the snow. Behind us, we could see quite clearly, but ahead the hills were in cloud. After climbing towards the ridge for a while, we put on crampons, and then entered the cloud. There was a breeze that was cold, but not too strong.

On reaching the wide and lumpy ridge, with poor visibility, we took out the GPS and discovered that we were not very far from the summit. After navigating over the confusing terrain using the GPS and map and compass, we reached the summit cairn. We could only see for around 15 metres, and the wind had become stonger and was bitingly cold. So we decided that Ben Oss would have to wait for another day.

On retracing our tracks down the hill, we found ourselves on a different path to the one we had ascended. This followed a delightful burn leading back into the forest. This path was boggy in some places, but frozen hard in others, and led us eventually to the bridge that we had missed on the way up.

The drive home was uneventful, (not like a previous one!) and we arrived home unusually early before 4 pm.

John Burton

Winter warm up

I was feeling decidedly lazy with wet, windy weather curtailing any plans of walking. With a change to high pressure and a nice settled spell forecast I decided I had to get out and do something. So Fern and I walked Tom Meadhoin from Callert. It looked like I could carry on along the ridge, but without knowing where the descent might bring me out I decided to return by my ascent route. A nice walk, pleasant weather, and we saw a buzzard (probably) circling above the saddle, and two stags who headed slowly toward Mam na Gualainn as I approached.

Fingers crossed the weather stays settled as Jimmy and I are heading north tomorrow (Thursday 20th). We're staying in Gerrys Hostel at Craig tomorrow night with plans to walk Moruisg (and Sgurr nan Ceannaichean) on Friday. There will be two spare seats in the car if anyone wishes to join us.

Then, assuming my legs are up to it, I'll be out on the club walk on Saturday to climb Druim na Sgriodain- at a nice leisurely pace I think!

Snow Fun after Aonach Beag

After an exhausting, but good , walk on Aonach Beag, we had coffee in the Alexandra Hotel in the Fort. While there, we heard via mobiles, that it was snowing in Oban, and so decided to leave first.

We (Ian, Ralph and John) were in my car that unfortunately does not have four-wheel drive, but, although dark, the weather was fine leaving the town. There was a fair amount of traffic travelling at a decent pace, so we were making good time, expecting to be home before seven o'clock. However, around Appin, it began to snow, though nothing serious and it didn't slow us down. But it was lying on the road, and by Barcaldine (about 10 miles from Oban), it was becoming heavy. Naturally the traffic slowed down, but still kept going at a reasonable speed. By Benderloch, seven miles from Oban, it was a blizzard, and we were doing no more than 25 mph. Over Connel Bridge, and we were nearly home. Then, going up the hill about 1.5 miles from Oban, the traffic in front of us stopped. We could see hazard warning lights ahead, but did not know why we had been stopped. The snow was still coming down heavily, and Ian got out to ask a pedestrian what the hold-up was. He was told that the police had stopped all traffic from going up or down the Bealach an Righ (the hill leading down into Oban).

Ahead, we could see one car trying to negotiate the hill, but was slewing all over the place. Four-by-four vehicles, plus one or two two-wheel drive vehicles were passing us successfully up the hill, with one or two coming down. This caused a few problems as cars were not always on the correct side of the road. But there were no collisions.

After waiting for a while, my two valliant passengers decided that they would get out in the still-falling and several inch deep snow to try to get me going up the hill. With the help of another stranded motorist, they managed to start me off, but I had to stop when I was met by another car coming down. So another shove was required. This time, I did manage to keep going. Of course, it meant that Ralph and Ian were left behind, but we had arranged that I would stop at the top of the hill At Pennyfuir (the local cemetery!).

When two snow-covered people climbed into the car, I suggested that conditions were so bad that I would not be able to navigate the hill into Oban in my front-wheel drive car. I was parked beside the entrance to the car park for the cemetery, so we decided to get the car in there and then walk the remaining distance into town. So. after a bit more shoving, that was achieved.

Just then, a snow plough arrived, turned at the car park entrance and drove off back towards the town. We walked after it in its tracks, that were even more slippy than before. In fact, I had my only fall of the day then.

Nearing the top of the hill, we came across all the cars, including the four-by-fours that had passed us earlier, waiting where the police had stopped them. Halfway down the hill, there were three cars, one facing the wrong way, abandoned at the side of the road, and just below them was a bus. Traffic was going nowhere! We all arrived home at about 7.45pm.

The next day, I walked up to the car park with a shovel and my grandson, Chris. After some digging and some shoving by Chris, we got out on to the now clear road, and home. Chris did suggest that I should do the shoving and he would drive! But I decided that at 13 years old, he was a bit too young.

John Burton

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone.
The gallery is closed in January and February and I'm longing to get out on the hills. I have been compiling a list of shorter walking days, but perhaps with a longer drive, that I am keen to do on good weather days. Perhaps an overnight stay where necessary.
If anyone is interested in joining me please get in touch. I'd love to have some company. These will not be club walks, just a group of friends walking together. I may take the dog on some days.
The list so far includes hills like Meall Bhuidhe (N Glen Lyon), Stuchd an Lochain, Meall Ghaordaidh, Schiehallion, Carn a'Gheodh (which could include Cairnwell and Aosda)...
Sarah