http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 has all the pictures of this lovely day...
Although it was unbelievably warm in Aviemore, (warm enough to leave the crampons in the car) it was still hard snow on the plateau of Cairngorm (which made it a bad decision that I made...). We had got to the summit via the Ptarmigan restuarant and a bacon buttie stop!!
Once on the plateau we were confronted by an icy wind and some lovely views. The wind was manageable with the correct clothing and was not as strong as on Driesh nor as gusty..the views as you can see from the photo's were lovely indeed.
The real excitement of the day came on the final descent from the summit of Coire an Lochain. I should have made us use ice-axes and put the ski poles away....I don't know if Claire slipped or was bored of walking and thought she'd slide 100' down the hill!! No damage was done - and I actually enjoyed a lovely sitting glissade down the rest of the snow patch. Being serious for a minute - it was good to practice our ice-axe braking - the paramount skill for use in winter, especially in Scotland.
The weather and views were amazing throughout the day - and we actually moved pretty quickly as were back at Suilvan just gone 3pm with a lovely walk under our belts. I have been to the Northern Corries many times, largely to climb, and this was the best weather day I have ever had. It is also good to see how things 'fit together' in the Cairngorms - especially for Claire who had approached the hills she's done in the range from several different directions...
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Mayar and (nearly) Driesh..
New Year 2013 dawned with a lovely morning - cold and crisp - although with a little bit of wind. Claire and I decided to 'first-foot' Driesh and Mayar, the two local hills to Glen Doll which neither of us had ever done before. The fact we were parked at the foot of the hills meant we could have a leisurely start to the New Year, and the fact we were following one of the trails in the forest to the edge of Corrie Fee made the navigation easier.
Corrie Fee was a revelation - I had heard of it as a good place for winter climbs and it certainly is - it also has lots of things for walkers, botanists etc..the pictures are on photobox:
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 along with the photos of the other days I'll be blogging about.
The stalkers path up Corrie Fee was actually quite arkward to follow - with patches of ice here and there which meant wearing crampons was not really practical, yet some parts were tricky. I should probably have suggested we got the ice axes out earlier - Claire was perched on a nice steep slope when I unslung her axe!!, however once they were out we could amble onto the plateau and make the last ascent onto Mayar.
From Mayar the way is obvious, over a couple of miles of rolling plateau before the final ascent to Driesh. As we passed the col, we blessed the good weather which meant that the way down was easy to find. However the wind was picking up with some quite strong gusts where staying on one's feet was not altogether easy. I should also have suggested we put on crampons at the bottom of the final climb to Driesh which had some rock hard snow on it. My experience means that, with an axe, I am pretty happy on this terrain, however Claire found it quite unnerving. Stopping to put the crampons on, a debut for my new pair, was quite tricky with the wind picking up and gusting around...I was finding it quite arkward to stand up (memo to self: more mince pies next year!!) and Claire was finding the whole thing quite unnerving. Claire has a veto on all our winter expeditions - probably 80% of my Munro's have been done in winter so my experience is much greater than hers in this environment) - she used it and we went down.
Stomping down was good practice for Claire in crampon usage - a field she hasn't had to use much given the weather in the last two years. She descended the tricky descent path in excellent style - there was quite a nasty run off if you got it wrong. A last section through the forest and a tough (for me) on the knees wander along the forest road and we were back at Suilvan. After a drink or two and some cake it was time to hit the road again - the forecast suggesting that Aviemore was the obvious location, if there is one place to beat a thaw it would be there...we both left Glen Doll quite sadly; its a lovely place and there is so much to do there...
Corrie Fee was a revelation - I had heard of it as a good place for winter climbs and it certainly is - it also has lots of things for walkers, botanists etc..the pictures are on photobox:
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 along with the photos of the other days I'll be blogging about.
The stalkers path up Corrie Fee was actually quite arkward to follow - with patches of ice here and there which meant wearing crampons was not really practical, yet some parts were tricky. I should probably have suggested we got the ice axes out earlier - Claire was perched on a nice steep slope when I unslung her axe!!, however once they were out we could amble onto the plateau and make the last ascent onto Mayar.
From Mayar the way is obvious, over a couple of miles of rolling plateau before the final ascent to Driesh. As we passed the col, we blessed the good weather which meant that the way down was easy to find. However the wind was picking up with some quite strong gusts where staying on one's feet was not altogether easy. I should also have suggested we put on crampons at the bottom of the final climb to Driesh which had some rock hard snow on it. My experience means that, with an axe, I am pretty happy on this terrain, however Claire found it quite unnerving. Stopping to put the crampons on, a debut for my new pair, was quite tricky with the wind picking up and gusting around...I was finding it quite arkward to stand up (memo to self: more mince pies next year!!) and Claire was finding the whole thing quite unnerving. Claire has a veto on all our winter expeditions - probably 80% of my Munro's have been done in winter so my experience is much greater than hers in this environment) - she used it and we went down.
Stomping down was good practice for Claire in crampon usage - a field she hasn't had to use much given the weather in the last two years. She descended the tricky descent path in excellent style - there was quite a nasty run off if you got it wrong. A last section through the forest and a tough (for me) on the knees wander along the forest road and we were back at Suilvan. After a drink or two and some cake it was time to hit the road again - the forecast suggesting that Aviemore was the obvious location, if there is one place to beat a thaw it would be there...we both left Glen Doll quite sadly; its a lovely place and there is so much to do there...
New Year trip to Scotland..
Claire and I had left Suilvan for xmas, which we spent in the NY Moors in the lovely village of Rosedale, after a trip to Newcastle. However, we picked him up after xmas and all 3 of us headed North for a week over New Year.
Our first base was Linn of Dee near Braemar - which for poor Suilvan involved a horrendous journey up the very steep and narrow road from Pitlochry. We'd gone that way in the hope of scrounging a free cuppa from my Mum and Peter - however they were up on Ben Vrackie so no deal!!
We awoke the next morning to snow on the ground and a lot more falling out of the sky! With the cloud down and us not being especially fit it didn't seem terribly sensible to hare off onto the Cairngorm Plateau, so we ambled along to the rebuilt Bob Scott's bothy which is near Derry Lodge. This bothy has a great history which is recorded in the superb Mountain Days and Bothy Nights by Dave Brown and Ian Mitchell - highly recommended. It has been re-built, although not by the MBA, and we met two of the builders when we arrived for our drink and cake stop. They are also 2 of the people who help look after the recently re-furbished Hutchinson Memorial Hut further up Glen Derry, a place I've never been to but would love to go.
Our two Scottish companions did seem a little miffed that people were using the bothy as a brew stop, so they would have been even less pleased to see the party of students that we met on the way back who were going to do just that!! To be honest - going onto the plateau probably would not have been the best idea given the weather so they were probably quite sensible to do so. As for us, we drove into Braemar and had a cup of tea at the Fife Arms whilst we pondered our options for the next day.
There was a 'warmth' to the air next day that pre-cursored the thaw that we did get later in the week - although there was a strong and biting wind. Our plan was to relocate to Glen Doll for New Years Eve (nice and quiet) and so we went up Carn Aosda, one of the hills to the W of the Cairnwell Pass. With a biting wind, we were glad of the nice starting height, and the smallness of the hills, as I was certainly feeling far from 100%. Claire could add another tick to her book and it was nice to get some views occasionally, as the two previous times I've been on the hill I've seen exactly zip....
Then it was a long drive to Glen Doll and a lovely meal in the Clova hotel before tootling down the big car-park at the end of the valley - the youth hostel has closed - and a convenient ignoring of the 'no overnight parking' signs...easier for one of the party than the other!!
Our first base was Linn of Dee near Braemar - which for poor Suilvan involved a horrendous journey up the very steep and narrow road from Pitlochry. We'd gone that way in the hope of scrounging a free cuppa from my Mum and Peter - however they were up on Ben Vrackie so no deal!!
We awoke the next morning to snow on the ground and a lot more falling out of the sky! With the cloud down and us not being especially fit it didn't seem terribly sensible to hare off onto the Cairngorm Plateau, so we ambled along to the rebuilt Bob Scott's bothy which is near Derry Lodge. This bothy has a great history which is recorded in the superb Mountain Days and Bothy Nights by Dave Brown and Ian Mitchell - highly recommended. It has been re-built, although not by the MBA, and we met two of the builders when we arrived for our drink and cake stop. They are also 2 of the people who help look after the recently re-furbished Hutchinson Memorial Hut further up Glen Derry, a place I've never been to but would love to go.
Our two Scottish companions did seem a little miffed that people were using the bothy as a brew stop, so they would have been even less pleased to see the party of students that we met on the way back who were going to do just that!! To be honest - going onto the plateau probably would not have been the best idea given the weather so they were probably quite sensible to do so. As for us, we drove into Braemar and had a cup of tea at the Fife Arms whilst we pondered our options for the next day.
There was a 'warmth' to the air next day that pre-cursored the thaw that we did get later in the week - although there was a strong and biting wind. Our plan was to relocate to Glen Doll for New Years Eve (nice and quiet) and so we went up Carn Aosda, one of the hills to the W of the Cairnwell Pass. With a biting wind, we were glad of the nice starting height, and the smallness of the hills, as I was certainly feeling far from 100%. Claire could add another tick to her book and it was nice to get some views occasionally, as the two previous times I've been on the hill I've seen exactly zip....
Then it was a long drive to Glen Doll and a lovely meal in the Clova hotel before tootling down the big car-park at the end of the valley - the youth hostel has closed - and a convenient ignoring of the 'no overnight parking' signs...easier for one of the party than the other!!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Meall Chuaich...a re-appraisal..
 |
| Meall Chuaich from the approach path. |
Many years ago, Mum and I were in the NW of Scotland for a couple of days. I spent mine at Shenevall bothy - doing Beinn Dearg Mhor and the 'big 6' Fisherfield Munro's. On the way home, going through one of my hapless munro-bagger phases, we stopped off and did Meall Chuaich - about which I can remember nothing.
To be fair - most of the guidebooks are not that complimentary about it either! Claire and I were in Scotland having driven up on Friday in Suilvan - resplendent with his snow tyres, he has been getting lots of presents recently. Saturday we rested and went for a stroll around the lovely Glenmore Forest, before driving down to Achlean. We went to Achlean as our intention at first was to do Mullach Choir a' Blair the next day. Speaking to some hardy looking walkers who turned up at the car-park with tales of white-outs on top and 2' snow-drifts - coupled with the lack of daylight and our lack of fitness - convinced me it would be cutting things a little fine...ergo Meall Chuaich.
It was not an auspicious start - one of my trekking poles has been playing up a lot recently and decided to muck around YET again. We have a set of these poles and the other 3 have been perfect; this one has been back to Black Diamond once and had been fixed by the wizzo's in Needle Sports on two other occasions - as I write it has gone back YET again to BD to try and fix. This not withstanding, we got out and started to walk towards the dam.
One positive aspect of Meall Chuaich, which makes it excellent for short autumn/early winter days - is the ease of approach. The march is actually some way - around 4km to the foot of the hill - but it is on a rough road that goes to the Hydro station and then turns into a very well constructed stalkers path. The Allt Chuaich bothy is now locked and not a bothy any more - shame as it has a nice fireplace and plenty of wood around!! and the path up had some sheet ice in places. It was a slow but steady climb to the top and for most of the way the sun was trying to get out and move the clouds - regrettably the clouds won and by the time we reached the very large cairn on top - the clouds were down and we were denied a view. [We were almost denied a map when a gust blew it out of my hand, however Claire managed an excellent save with the point of her trekking pole].
We descended by compass bearing as the path was largely snow-covered for the first few hundred feet, and it shaves a little close to some craglets for safe-keeping. As it turned it out; I steered us a little further south than anticipated, which caused a little confusion when the mist cleared for a bit. However, trusting the compass paid off as we descended and hit the stalkers path we had left some time before. This path encircles the south side of the hill and makes clearing the hill straightforward. However, the terrain is a desolate wasteland (Macbeth's witches would feel at home) so once again this is a mountaineering expedition as opposed to a mere walk - I have long held the view there is no such thing as winter walking in Scotland anyway.
After a quick drink we were back on the walk-out; quite nice to stretch the legs before the drive home and Claire's tick in her book!!!
nb: Claire does NOT collect Munro's - the fact she ticks them off in her new Munro's book is pure coincidence!!
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The decline of the Thai...
Claire and I discovered the Royal Thai in Penrith by accident one saturday night in January 2011...we were looking for somewhere to eat and everywhere was heaving. The Thai had been an Italian restaurant back in the day but it had closed...we found the new Thai and it was superb.
The place has had its ups and downs over the couple of years, with a couple of change of managers. However it has changed hands again, and does seem to have finally succumbed to ordinariness....what a shame...
A moment of silence for what was the best restaurant in Penrith in its day.
The place has had its ups and downs over the couple of years, with a couple of change of managers. However it has changed hands again, and does seem to have finally succumbed to ordinariness....what a shame...
A moment of silence for what was the best restaurant in Penrith in its day.
Monday, 3 December 2012
A'Mharconaich and Geal-Charn..
Claire and I had headed north in Suilvan for the weekend - with a glorious day forecast for Sunday and seemingly a fair bit of snow. We arrived in our usual layby on Friday evening and settled down for the night in Suilvan (who had come back from the garage with a new battery to help him start in the cold mornings). It was the first time that we had used the insulating covers for the front windows as well to try and keep some of the heat in - the forecast was for cold.
So it transpired, Suilvan started first time on Saturday morning but we had trouble getting out of the car-park. We then had a half-hour at the bottom of the ski road as a vehicle had left the road. The plan for the day was to have a day of ice-axe braking practice - THE essential skill for anyone who wants to go mountaineering in winter (I contend there is no such thing as winter walking in Scotland). However it looked like the snow might be far too soft to allow any practice. So it transpired when we arrived at Coire Cas to find a very strong wind and light snow showers..so we decided to drive back down and have a wander in Glenmore Forest...at least that is what we had in mind.
Suilvan, unfortunately, couldn't get any traction at all...so some frantic digging with ice-axes and pushing followed, eventually we got him away. The drive back down was ok and the walk in the forest lovely, lots of snow to play in and time to recharge the batteries. An early night was had - we all looked forward to next day.
Sunday dawned - no problem getting out of the car-park this time and we tootled into Aviemore for breakfast at the mountain cafe - this being a short walk there was not a huge amount of time pressure. This being done we drove down the A9 to Balsporran Cottages where we parked. Quite a few cars were there including a couple with ski's, which I thought was a little optimistic.
Geal-Charn is 'only' 917m (one of the smaller Munro's) and the start is at around 425m so the first part of the day was not too taxing. There was a good path all the way up and lots of footprints to follow. Claire set a lovely pace on the ascent and we were on the summit by 11.45. The skiers had been able to use ski's for the last third of the ascent and were now preparing to descend to the col between the two peaks. The view from the summit was pretty impressive (as can be seen from the pictures), with the hills of Ben Alder forest looking VERY appealing.
Our descent to the col was not quite as smooth - there was a lot more snow on the leeward side and I struggled to find any rhythm on the descent. The subsequent climb was a bit better, although the snow was certainly deeper than the ascent of Geal-Charn. Upon reaching the summit ridge, which links the hill to Beinn Udlamain - we turned right and wandered slowly along to the cairn on top of A'Mharconaich. I had done these hills before - many years ago on a day of low cloud and no views, so it was nice to do them again and to be able to see something!!
The start of the descent route is quite steep - so it was great to see that Claire's technique and confidence had improved so much she could tackle it whilst munching a sandwich!! Once down this it was quite a long descent down to the valley - with the river crossing being negated by using the railway for 50m and back to see Suilvan after a 4 3/4 hr round. To cap off a lovely day, the drive back was one of the best we've ever had - a quick 5 hours or so saw us back in Cumbria.
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Left alone...again...
although at least I have been taken out for a spin....the humans and I are back in Aviemore, last night I was covered in snow -which was nice...not so sure the male human enjoyed having to push me out of the Coire Cas car-park mind you - I'm sure he'll whinge (blog) about it in due course!!!
Now I am in the car-park they are going to stay in - and they've gone to the bar....bloody humans!!!
Suilvan
Now I am in the car-park they are going to stay in - and they've gone to the bar....bloody humans!!!
Suilvan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)