Over the Hills - 204 Munros

Over The Hill Club

I joined the Over The Hill Club at their AGM last November in Dufton.

Since then I have been on a Breacon meet and - last weekend - a meet in Newtonmore.

I'll be going to the AGM again this year - also in Dufton.

The club is affiliated to the BMC and meets happen in the UK, Europe and other far flung places.

The Club formed as a spin off from the TGOC.

I was in awe of the wealth of hill walking experience at the AGM. And at the meets.

The meets are particularly sociable and it seems to be a prerequisite to be in to whisky tasting.

The AGM is also attended by 2 barrels of beer and I was shocked to hear - last year - that the cost of a pint had risen to £1.20.

When in Scotland

I decided to attend the Newtonmore meet and use this a a launching place for some more Munros.

I drove up on the 22 August and was rewarded on the Friday with a day on Geal Charn in very good conditions. A fairly easy route up Glen Markie before going up by Piper's burn.

The forecast for Saturday was none too good but I joined Jacqui and John for a stroll up Carn an Fheiceadain. The weather was ok and on the way down we were passed by about 8 Land Rover type things. Each one stopped and commented about it being very midgy. I thought it wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to stand around and wait for the vehicles to pass. I enjoyed the day. It is unusual for me to walk in company and I was in very good company all day.

The evenings were passed in the Glen Hotel where good food and good beer was enjoyed.
I particulaly enjoyed the company of Barry Sykes and Ian Sheil among others and conversation came easily.

The forecast for Sunday was very good and six of us set out for Carn Dearg, Carn Sgulain and A' Chailleach. That six was Sue, John, David and me together with Molly and Harvey, two greyhound - y type dogs that were rescued. Sue knew these hills very well (Sue and Neil and Ali and Adrian ran Newtonmore Hostel). The route to Carn Dearg started on tracks then went into pathless heathery stuff. Not too bad but I was pleased to get to where we started going uphill for real.

Once up there was a long walk over fairly easy ground that took us round to Carn Sgulain and my 200th Munro. No big deal, but, a significant milestone after nearly nine years of coming up to Scotland. (I started on 15 January 2005).

A small cairn for a big milestone.

On Monday 26 August I was booked in to the Aultguish Inn bunkhouse. The plan had been to climb the Fannaichs over a number of days.

Monday was a superb day, but, because I had a fair drive to start I decided to climb Sgurr Breac and A' Chailleach. The walk up the stalkers path was a warm up for the superb climb onto the ridge and views to die for.

 

 

On A' Chailleach I met Matthew, a climber and walked back down - talking with him - via Druim Reidh which meant a climb back up Toman Coinich but gave a good walk as opposed to the steep decent off from near Sron na Goibhre.

I checked in to the Aultguish Inn bunkhouse and found I had a room to myself - until Matthew came in. He had thought of going ovet to Torridon and camp, but decided the bunkhouse at £16.50 was a good alternative.

The food in the Inn was ok and the drinks were not bad - just no real ale on draught. We talked about the hills - he'd done some impressive climbs in Winter and got his son aged 14 equally interested in Winter walking.

Then we got on to music.

Well, Matthew used to work in the Middle East shipping in equipment for groups that were in concert over there. Frank Zappa, Here and Now, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson (solo projects), Captain Beefheart, and many others came up in conversation. he met many of the groups and had interesting stories to tell. One where he had to arrange for his wife to travel back to England just to pick up a case for ....... I think it was Slash, but I'm not sure as the whisky was going down well.

Tuesday 27 August was a crap day and I was booked into Ullapool SYHA. It rained most of the day and although I started up by the All Breabaig to climb Sgurr nan Each etc I turned round as the weather took a turn for the worst after about an hour and a half. Time in Ullapool was spent wandering around with multi-national tourists.

My highlight that night was a curry in the only - quite good for food - Curry House in Ullapool. Pity the service/attitude didn't match the food. I think all were considered one off wonders - although I had been there before in June. Don't think I'll be going back again. I was at least two-off wonder!

Wednesday 28 August was forecast to be a good dry day.

It turned out to be the highlight day of my trip.

Back in June I set off for Seana Bhraigh. The forecast was for rain in the morning followed by drier, brighter weather after lunch. I wore just my usual Dri-clime vest and PHD windshirt.
I didn't bother with overtrousers as I was wearing a pair of Montane special editions that kept fairly comfortable in the wet.

Seana Bhraigh contends for the remotest Munro with one or two others. There is a very good stalkers path up Coire an Lochain Sgeirich. But, not long after it runs out to a very faint if any path - with little marker cairns. Only in June the visability got worse, as did the weather. The rain got harder and the wind was blowing a hoolie. I had to take off my very wet windshirt before puting on my PHD Sigma Vest over the Dri-clime and then my waterproof. I pulled on my overtrousers and swapped my soggy Buffalo mitts for extreme fleece gloves and Tuff Bags. I was frozen!

A good decision to turn back.

Roll forward two months - the visability was perfect. I still lost the faint path. The SMC book advises to find the Loch a' Chadha Dheirg and use a tiny lochan nearby as a marker in bad weather. The loch was covered in green and would have been inpossible to find.

Luckily the general direction was obvious on a clear day and I played cat and mouse with the tiny cairns until I crossed over to climb north towards Creag an Duine and then on to Seana Bhraigh.

I'll take a proper camera next time. But, I did get some photos. (The phone camera is ok but not in bright light where it's hard to see the screen or know which part of the screen to press).

I sat down for lunch and thought - this is fantastic. I was the only person on the walk in and out - all day!

I had views to die for and then in the far distance I saw .......................... the blight of Wind Turbines. Why despoil an remote area with the useless things? One day someone will wake up and say they made a mistake - I hope.

The walk out was stunning.

There is no way anyone could do this walk in bad weather - it would be a complete injustice to a magnificant hill walk.

That evening I had decided on fish and chips.

There is a superb fish and chip shop over looking the bay. It does large Haddock and chips frest while you wait. As I was waiting a woman came in and asked if there was a fish and chip shop where she could eat in? Priceless. There was an inferior place next to the pub round the corner. You can't miss it! It got me talking to the owners and I had a great fish supper.

Pubs in Ullapool charge in the order of £3.90 a pint. I bought bottles from Tescos. Petrol was £4.70 a litre.

Bye bye Ullapool.

The forecast for the next three days was for high winds, rain and poor visabilty.

I drove home on the Thursday.

Still, a great week and only 79 more Munros to go. Or, in my case 80 - as there were 284 when I started.

It's not about ticking lists - it's about Seana Bhraigh days. I love Scotland.

Ben More Assynt - second try

The Plan

So, the plan was to break through the 200 Munros barrier.

It didn't happen.

Lots of things are happening at home - not least we have a 10 month old grandson, Gareth. That's in addition to two 15 year old grand-kids ...........................and one more on the way.

But, I had decided to head for the hills at the end of June and had booked SYHA accommodation. This despite the sworn vow to avoid Scotland in June, July and August (midges).

It is just as well that I love being up in Scotland and I'm not desperate to tick off the list of Munros for the sake of it. I want to enjoy the views as much as possible and I'm not going to go up in day long zero visibility and heavy rain. Ok, it rains and visibility does go in cloud and mist. But, as long as there is the prospect of some breaks in the weather I will go for it.

But, the plan included Torridon and, Liathach and Beinn Eighe. These definitely are good day mountains.

What happened

It started well.

On Tuesday 25 June I drove from Glencoe to Ullapool, stopping off just past Loch Glascarnoch to climb Am Faochagach. This is an easy one. Very wet getting over to the uphill bits with a knee deep crossing of the Abhainn a' Gharbhrain. But, after the boggy stuff, up hill and round to the top was straightforward.

I could see the Beinn Dearg group clearly and I even met a hill runner who had ran all the way over from Seana Bhraigh and was heading back there. Seana Bhraigh was clear in the distance and was also in my plan - to climb it on Friday.

Am Faochagach, Eididh nan Clach Geala and Seana Bhraigh were the last three I had to climb in the group to the South and East of Ullapool.

Wednesday 26 June was a special day.

On 10 October 2008 I climbed Conival and headed over to climb Ben More Assynt. I never got to Ben More Assynt. Although it was dry that day, the wind was ferocious. No, it was horrendous. I was being blown around at the best of times, but, from the Beinn an Fhurain - Conival bealach and upwards the wind was very bad. On the crest between Conival and Ben More Assynt I reached a stage where I was unable to stand and, worst still, I was being lifted off from my hands and knees. I turned round half way along the crest and stumbled and crawled my way back.

So, on Wednesday 26 June I made it.

It was a great day with good visibility until the afternoon, when low cloud enveloped the hills. It was a bit windy too. The sort of wind that makes you think, but not of turning round.

I only met 4 other people on the hill.

 Conival

 Ben More Assynt

A great day.

Thursday 27 June was going to be a big day: Eididh nan Clach Geala and Seana Bhraigh.

Only problem was the low cloud and mist.

I walked in from Inverlael car park and took the clear path up towards Lochan a Chnapaich. The path was clear but it was very misty and cloudy. A day when one out of two would be good.

I walked up towards the Lochan and was looking out for a way up to the broad West ridge. For some reason, I was looking out for a stalker's path, although I checked my books later and couldn't find a reference to one. Odd. Even odder was a micro mechanical digger complete with cattapillar tracks. This had managed to ruin about 150 meters of path which was otherwise perfectly ok. It can only have got there by helicopter. Why?

I turned back and made my way up the grassy bits that eventually took me up to the broad ridge and the lochan that nestled on it. I picked up a faint path and set off into the mist until the mass of jumbled rocks loomed into vision. It was an easy scramble up and over these to reach the summit cairn. The mist and low cloud set the agenda for the rest of the day. Back.

Seana Bhraigh would have to wait until the next day.

It was a good day and not without some visibility once out of the cloud and mist.

Friday 28 June was forecast to improve in the afternoon. This, according to MWIS and the BBC. It was meant to improve from damp light rain and drizzle to dry and, even sunny. So I set out wearing just a windshirt and my superb Montane Polartec trousers - the Limited edition ones that can take a fair amount of rain and still feel comfortable - for Seana Bhraigh.

From Inverlael this is around 5 hours to reach. I set out at 0900. Just well timed to reach Seana Bhraigh by time the weather was supposed to improve. It didn't.

There is a excellent stalkers path that takes folk most of the way; up through Coire an Lochain Sgeirich and round past some low - no shelter type - rocky outcrops and on towards Seana Bhraigh. There is a mandatory river crossing. Only ankle deep, but ensuring wet feet.

So, I rounded the low outcrops and all the while - for the last couple of hours - was thinking: this is going to improve. But, the light rain turned to heavy rain. The wind increased and the visability closed down.

And, my windshirt was starting to feel uncomfortable. Too wet to remain on under my my waterproof. There was no shelter, the wind and rain was whipping down and I was cold.

I had already decided to turn back and got back to the rocky outcrops. These provided next to no real shelter, but I got down low and managed to take the windshirt off. I then put on my driclime gillet, my PHD Sigma gillet, and my waterproofs. I replaced my soaking wet Buffalo mitts with my dry fleece gloves and Tuff Bags. I ate some trail mix and a couple of Mars bars and set off back into the teeth of a gale. It was cold. No it was bloody freezing, especially with wet feet. With all my layers on, it took me a while to feel comfortable. I was in good spirits, but had resigned myself to revisiting Seana Bhraigh.

Saturday 29 June was forecast to deteriorate from late morning. I took this too literally and decided not to try a couple of the Fannichs on the way down to Torridon. Mistake. It would have been ok. There was cloud and rain, but not until later in the afternoon.

Instead I visited the Beinn Eighe Centre and then went over to Gairloch, before heading to Torridon SYHA.

Here, I met John Rayment - look him up on Google.

John is walking the coasts of England, Wales and Scotland. He set out in August last year.
He took a break over the Winter and will finish in November this year. We went to the Torridon Inn and had a very good meal, a couple of pints and a good chat.

Gairloch was a great place to visit

And in black and white

This was the view on Sunday morning and was a good way to cutting a long story short. The forecast for Sunday was dire and in reality it was.

The forecast for Monday was not good.

Liathach and Beinn Eighe are definitely good weather hills.

I transferred two days SYHA bookings to August and set off home via Glencoe SHYA.

One thing you can be sure of in Scotland is the weather. Sometimes you get great weather, sometimes not. But, the mountains will always be there and it's great going up to play with them.

Roll on August: an OTHC meet in Newtonmore and some more Munros - I hope.