Hillwalking Thread

[Benjamin_Nevis]

13 hours ago, Swello said:

Nice one. Looking at the shape of it, I'd be interested to know how it handles strong winds - I would guess that you will need to be particularly careful not to let the wind hit the side of it but if the wind is hitting the foot end, it should be able to handle a lot...

Aye it's an unusual shape, I pitched it in line with the wind direction, but the wind died to virtually f**k all through the night anyway. I think i'll maybe try it on Lochnagar this weekend. Always fancied a night up there. 

7 hours ago, virginton said:

It wouldn't be suitable for genuinely extreme conditions but the Eiger trekker one man tent on Amazon is a pretty good option at about £40. Lightweight, very easy to put up, a low profile against the wind and has put up with several soaking, West Coast rainstorms with minimal leakage, most probably caused by my half arsed setup.

I'm thinking of getting the two-person version for next year to have extra room to keep the rest of the pack inside comfortably when it's raining, otherwise it gets chucked in the porch. 

Not sure how much they are now, but i got a Vango Banshee (alleged) 2 person tent a few years back for £80 off Amazon. It's actually a great one man tent in reality, with plenty of room for kit. Calling it a 2 person is taking the pish, unless of course neither party moves a fucking inch through the course of the night. Bit of a weight penalty though - i think it was about 2kg. 

[invergowrie arab]

4 minutes ago, Day of the Lords said:

Aye it's an unusual shape, I pitched it in line with the wind direction, but the wind died to virtually f**k all through the night anyway. I think i'll maybe try it on Lochnagar this weekend. Always fancied a night up there. 

Not sure how much they are now, but i got a Vango Banshee (alleged) 2 person tent a few years back for £80 off Amazon. It's actually a great one man tent in reality, with plenty of room for kit. Calling it a 2 person is taking the pish, unless of course neither party moves a fucking inch through the course of the night. Bit of a weight penalty though - i think it was about 2kg. 

200 is about 1.6 I think

We have one which I now use for solos but me and the missus did take up the hills once. It's lucky we get on TBH.

Bags and boots slept outside.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

1 minute ago, invergowrie arab said:

200 is about 1.6 I think

We have one which I now use for solos but me and the missus did take up the hills once. It's lucky we get on TBH.

Bags and boots slept outside.

Yup. same here. We camped on that wee not-quite-an-island on Loch nan Eun a few years back in it. Hardly any room inside the tent and of course the faffing involved in getting out of sleeping bags and getting out the side door for dreaded 3am tent pish was most unwelcome. Still, a cracking tent for solo stuff, although with a choice of a 2 man MSR and this wee Alpkit thing, it'll be collecting dust now. 

[microdave]

I can't seem to find it anywhere but how much is the car park at Ben Lawers and is it cash only?

[Benjamin_Nevis]

I can't seem to find it anywhere but how much is the car park at Ben Lawers and is it cash only?

Last time i was there it was cash only and £3. That was last Nov. I forgot cash, winged it and nothing happened.

[microdave]

Last time i was there it was cash only and £3. That was last Nov. I forgot cash, winged it and nothing happened.

Cheers. I thought it would be about that and I have the change.

[microdave]

Went up Ben Lawers today (and Beinn Ghlas) and I have to say being blown about in strong winds and being battered by rain was worth it for the amazing view at the summit[emoji23].

In seriousness, a few parts were quite tough but a thoroughly enjoyable walk all in. Next hill on Monday and I can't wait.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Went up Ben Lawers today (and Beinn Ghlas) and I have to say being blown about in strong winds and being battered by rain was worth it for the amazing view at the summit[emoji23].

In seriousness, a few parts were quite tough but a thoroughly enjoyable walk all in. Next hill on Monday and I can't wait.

Seems familiar [emoji23] What's your hill on Monday?

[microdave]

Seems familiar [emoji23] What's your hill on Monday?

Dunno yet. I'll think about it over the weekend. The walks are getting longer each time so that'll continue.

[the aggressive beggar]

58 minutes ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

Thought if I left early I'd be fine for Schiehallion today - left the house at 5.45, arrived at the car park pre-8am and it was already full! Tried parking in a not-quite space that nonetheless looked basically ok but misjudged the reverse park and wound up grounding my front bumper and needing help from a passerby to get back out. That was enough to put me off so l left and continued on to Rannoch Station where I walked the path going over to Corrour.  Much quieter and less stressful than wondering if I'd be able to get the car out when I got off the hill. Even in the 10 minutes or so I was at the Schiehallion car park people were arriving and starting to park on the verges etc, I wouldn't have liked to have seen what that road was like by 9-10. If the guy who helped me out of the ditch I was in reads P&B I owe him one!

A decent day overall but not convinced hillwalking/munro-bagging is really the activity for me on a regular basis given the travel involved - I always forget 1) how big Highland Perthshire is and 2) how much I hate driving there. I don't mind bombing up the A9 to go to Inverness or beyond, but the crap wee roads in and around Aberfeldy, Tummel Bridge and so on are not enjoyable. I was also struck by the amount of tents I passed where people had clearly just pulled off the road - literally just between trees in many cases - and pitched a tent feet from the roadside. I quite enjoy camping but don't see the appeal of that at all. Along the north shore of Loch Rannoch was particularly bad for it, including multiple places where there were several cars and tents at the same place. Loch Rannoch is very nice but don't see the attraction personally of sleeping in a few yards of grass between it, your car and the road. 

The picture is halfway between Rannoch and Corrour looking over to the Blackwater Reservoir. There is a train on the west highland line there if you zoom in. 

We try to get up to kilvrecht on the south of loch rannoch at least once a year.  Last i heard its still closed.  Great campsite with some cracking wee walks and hidden gems in the forest

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Walk out to Henderland Hill Fort near Mountain Cross. Barely a pimple of a hill but very scenic.

[vikingTON]

No doubt Scottish domestic tourism is up as well but there seems to be a flood of visitors from England.

[welshbairn]

14 minutes ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

As an aside/general question, has Scotland always been this rammed in the summertime? Even on the way back down the road, I stopped in at Bridge of Allan for a chippy, which I wouldn't have considered some kind of day-trip/tourist town, and the town was just completely stowed out with people on the high street. Have I missed this over the past few years or is it just an effect of no foreign holidays this year and people wanting to get out after lockdown?

They had police out on the bridge to Sky a couple of years back warning people it was full and nowhere to stay. The North 500 has sent people mental as well. Covid's just amplified an existing problem imo.

[microdave]

I've had two Saturdays when I've failed to get parked for a hill walk, so I've given up on any weekend walks until next year. Even midweek, it's been busier than I'd anticipated but still a lot quieter than the weekends.

[jamamafegan]

Car park was busy in just outside Kinlochewe for climbing Slioch today but we managed to squeeze ourselves in. What a day we’ve had.

[Dunfermline Don]

Went up Ben Lawers today (and Beinn Ghlas) and I have to say being blown about in strong winds and being battered by rain was worth it for the amazing view at the summit[emoji23].

 

In seriousness, a few parts were quite tough but a thoroughly enjoyable walk all in. Next hill on Monday and I can't wait.

You should’ve waited a day. I was on An Stuc on Saturday and looking over to Ben Lawers is seemed pretty busy. Visibility from the summits were among the best I have experienced.

[invergowrie arab]

17 hours ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

As an aside/general question, has Scotland always been this rammed in the summertime? Even on the way back down the road, I stopped in at Bridge of Allan for a chippy, which I wouldn't have considered some kind of day-trip/tourist town, and the town was just completely stowed out with people on the high street. Have I missed this over the past few years or is it just an effect of no foreign holidays this year and people wanting to get out after lockdown?

The hills and roadside camping are as busy as I have ever seen them.

Lack of foreign holidays is obviously driving it up but Scotland has been getting busier for 3 or 4 years now.

There was a time you could turn up in the day and get the ferry to Lewis or Mull. No chance now.

3 years ago I drove to Mallaig firat week of Augusy when Scottish schools were back and traffic was nose to tail from Crianlarich.

[Gnash]

20 hours ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said:

As an aside/general question, has Scotland always been this rammed in the summertime? Even on the way back down the road, I stopped in at Bridge of Allan for a chippy, which I wouldn't have considered some kind of day-trip/tourist town, and the town was just completely stowed out with people on the high street. Have I missed this over the past few years or is it just an effect of no foreign holidays this year and people wanting to get out after lockdown?

Bridge of Allan is always really busy if the sun is out.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

The Central Highlands have been generally busy the last few years, though definitely exacerbated by the sorts of antisocial wankers who'd normally be getting pished in Benidorm on shite lager buying cheap tents, disposable bbqs and leaving the place a pure state. These wankers are now frequenting the previously quieter places like Torridon, Assynt etc. Hopefully once foreign holidays are without issue they'll f**k off again. I usually don't bother with Glencoe etc in summer anyway. Too hot, too many midges and too many wankers.

[AUFC90]

Just bought and tried out my new tent. A Vango torridon 300. Beast of a tent, wind barely affects it and it's one the warmest tents I've slept in. Also if your into backpacking 3.5kg split between 2 or 3 people isn't too much of a struggle. I managed to get it for £140 which is an absolute steal.