Hillwalking Thread

[Robin.Hood]

1 minute ago, invergowrie arab said:

Yeah but it's a pain in the hoop because there is no public transport to/from Braemar so you need to do it both ways or get dropped off/picked up at one end.

If you want to make a slightly longer trip you can get a train to Blair Atholl and walk to aviemore over two days and get train home 

Aye getting dropped off would be the plan I think. 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Summit camp on my first visit to Arran. Holy shit what a place it is. We camped on Caisteal Abhail which gives glorious views of the other three Corbetts. Cir Mhor looking the pick of them. I was going to walk back to Brodick over CM and Beinn Tarsuinn bit it was clagged and pissing down first thing. Certainly going back though.

[jamamafegan]

Anyone ever had any bother from the North Chesthill Estate? Proper bunch of wanks by the sound of it.

https://theferret.scot/land-access-demands-as-estate-blocks-walkers/?fbclid=IwAR1j1qD4sQg0PpHtkgHG57tASRdiCEyl6saDhtjFnf6XCZzxIYg9phtUsM4

On another note, I completed munros number 49 and 50 at the weekend. Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil.

[The Derry]

9 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

Anyone ever had any bother from the North Chesthill Estate? Proper bunch of wanks by the sound of it.

https://theferret.scot/land-access-demands-as-estate-blocks-walkers/?fbclid=IwAR1j1qD4sQg0PpHtkgHG57tASRdiCEyl6saDhtjFnf6XCZzxIYg9phtUsM4

On another note, I completed munros number 49 and 50 at the weekend. Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil.

That looks like a great ride.  Bike looks good too.

[Swello]

North Chesthill estate are the very worst estate going for this stuff and as I understand it, they were one of the estates during the foot & mouth crisis that actually acted so unreasonably in restricting access that it indirectly led to the Land Reform Act that we benefit from now.

The owner has never accepted the concept of access rights and continues to take the Victorian (or English?) view that it is a privilege that is within the gift of the landowner, when in reality, access in Scotland was never done that way.

My main concern with this is that the council's soft handling of this emboldens other like minded landowners and that access goes backwards (at a time where there is already pressure to do so in a number of situations).

Also - well done on Alder, one of the best days on the Scottish Hills IMO.

 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Anyone ever had any bother from the North Chesthill Estate? Proper bunch of wanks by the sound of it.

https://theferret.scot/land-access-demands-as-estate-blocks-walkers/?fbclid=IwAR1j1qD4sQg0PpHtkgHG57tASRdiCEyl6saDhtjFnf6XCZzxIYg9phtUsM4

On another note, I completed munros number 49 and 50 at the weekend. Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil.

The boy is a weapons-grade arsehole as are his estate staff.

[DG.Roma]

Not got round to reporting back on my Ballachulish adventures yet, will do, but this week's jaunt first.

I was over at the Berwick v Gretna game so stayed the night and went into Northumberland National Park to take on The Cheviot, a fair lump at 815m, the highest they've got over/down there.

Decent drive in through a valley to a bit called Langleeford. Here's Hedgehope Hill on the left, The Cheviot on the right.

The initial pull up Scald Hill got the legs warm and the lungs going then eased off before a steep pull up The Cheviot's shoulder. This area is notoriously boggy and with obvious heavy footfall there was quite a scar on the hill, I'm surprised it hasn't been graced with a path on the ascent seeing as it's in a national park, the highest hill for miles, and clearly very well used.

Approaching the summit plateau a path does appear, the very obvious and cumbersome Pennine Way. Some effort getting those slabs up there, can't imagine what the approach to the trig would be like without them, and this was after a warm dry day.

On such a wide plateau the views are better away from the summit, and not much further along I could see what I assumed would be our border about a mile away. I was temped to trek across just for the sake of it, but I was about to trade in the Pennine Way slabs for an unknown amount of heather and bog stomping to continue on a horseshoe over Comb Fell (652m) and Hedgehope Hill (714m) so decided against the detour. Getting up to Comb Fell took some patience and perseverance but reaching Hedgehope Hill was well worth it, with views over to The Cheviot, back down the valley and out to the North Sea.

All in all, maybe not hills worth making a long drive for, but if you're in the area they're well worth doing.

[Swello]

Looks like normal southern uplands walking  

I'm saving Windy Gyle and a cross-border wander over to the Cheviot for my last Donald (by far the least glamourous of all the hill rounds) if I happen to do them all (I've done over half of them without really trying to).

[DG.Roma]

On 24/09/2021 at 00:52, Swello said:

Looks like normal southern uplands walking  

... Donalds ... (I've done over half of them without really trying to).

Yep pretty much, and know what you mean about the Donalds. Climb a Corbett or a Graham down this way, you've done a Donald, and probably another one or two on the way up or down that you didn't notice!

So then, Ballachulish...

It'd been raining for a few days before we got there and all the tops were clagged in on drive through Glencoe. When we arrived though, the target revealed itself...

The forecast ahead was poor for the duration, except tomorrow, MWIS was threatening sunburn and dehydration rather than the usual wind and rain, so tomorrow it is then!

On 01/09/2021 at 11:56, Swello said:

Beinn a Bheithir ... it is a very steep walk - so lots of ascent in a relatively short distance (and I seem to remember the drop between the two munros is quite a lot)

You weren't kidding! As I said before I went, I'm used to steep, but I'm not necessarily used to steep combined with intense heat, heavy pack with loads of water, and a belly full of massive cooked breakfast! Temperature was 25C at the summit apparently. I had to stop on the ascent much more than usual, a bit disheartening at times but the views were stunning already.

There were a couple of wet, slippy rocks in the first scramble so when I met what I thought to be the "easier option to the left" mentioned in a few reports on WH I thought I'd give it a go. 

Easier? Aye right, much more exposed and where does it go? Gave up on that pretty quick and returned to the scramble. Two other guys had also came along the "easier" route so I told them not to bother and we coached each other up the rest of the scramble - multiple short blasts rather than one big climb, ideal. 

It was great to reach the top of Sgorr Bhan and see the ridge across to Sgorr Dhearg ahead. Here it is from both angles...

Met a large walking group at the first Munro summit, half of which had bypassed the scrambles by coming up the Beinn Bhan shoulder (looked a decent option but glad I didn't do it) and the other half had come up through Glenachulish Forest, my descent route. Really glad I didn't do that!

The route down to the bealach was quite badly eroded and the descent towards the forest was undulating and boggy in places. It would have felt quite a chore ascending that way.

Looking over to Sgorr Dhonuill from Sgorr Dhearg's summit you get an idea of the descent and reascent Swello warned about. 267m down to the lowest point in the bealach and then a steep 244m back up.

Another wee scramble near the top of Sgorr Dhonuill but we somehow managed to avoid the narrow ledge on the way up. I loved the exposure of it on the way back down, it was easy to grab on to the rocks on the other side, but one of the guys I'd met on the way up didn't like it at all.

View out towards Loch Linnhe over the very tempting North Western descent route.

A very warm and sweaty day, but a great one. Dinner and drinks were well earned and well enjoyed that night. 

Sadly the forecast was right. The weather was miserable for the next few days and none of the summits were clear the whole time we were there, not even the Pap. I did get out on some of the smaller hills along the water though. Well worth it to keep the legs limber and get a closer look over Loch Linnhe.

Bidean next time?

[Benjamin_Nevis]

First week of holidays in the NW Highlands, so clearly the weather was going to turn to shit [emoji23] However got a couple of good hills in: On Sunday I took in the Graham behind our accommodation, Creag Dhubh Mhor. Obviously an absolute bogtrot for most of the approach and return, but back to the house in just over 3 hours so not too much suffering [emoji23]. Yesterday was the magnificent Beinn Bhan. Took the easier route over Coire Na Cuileag from just beyond the summit of Bealach na Ba. Terrific rock architecture and Bealach nan Arr was pretty cool. Rainstorm at the summit meant no views of the spectacular eastern Corrie's though.



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[Swello]

9 hours ago, DG.Roma said:

There were a couple of wet, slippy rocks in the first scramble so when I met what I thought to be the "easier option to the left" mentioned in a few reports on WH I thought I'd give it a go. 

One rule of Scottish mountains is that bypass paths are usually scarier (and riskier) than the scramble they are trying to miss out.

Great photos though - the kind of day worth saving these hills for.

[DG.Roma]

1 hour ago, Swello said:

One rule of Scottish mountains is that bypass paths are usually scarier (and riskier) than the scramble they are trying to miss out.

Great photos though - the kind of day worth saving these hills for.

Good to know, will keep that in mind in the future!

Cheers, it was one of those days where the heat haze obscures some of the views, but I'll accept that for guaranteed dry weather.

Speaking of photos, @Day of the Lords I've been reading through some of the old posts on this thread. You're getting a lot of compliments for your photos but sadly the links are dead. Same goes for your reports on WH. Have you got them anywhere else online?

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Good to know, will keep that in mind in the future!
Cheers, it was one of those days where the heat haze obscures some of the views, but I'll accept that for guaranteed dry weather.
Speaking of photos, [mention=15829]Day of the Lords[/mention] I've been reading through some of the old posts on this thread. You're getting a lot of compliments for your photos but sadly the links are dead. Same goes for your reports on WH. Have you got them anywhere else online?

I binned my Flickr account last year but of course failed to realise that all the images I'd linked to my WH reports would be goners as well. I don't think there's an easy fix [emoji1751]

Pretty sure all my WH linked photos from around late 2015 until this year will be gone. Tbf I hardly did any reports after about 2017.

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[Swello]

Bit of an uninviting forecast this weekend but as I was able to get some hill time, I headed for Speyside where I thought the best chance of a decent day would be. I wanted to do Ben Rinnes but that's a really long way for me to go for a short walk - so I decided to make it a twofer and do Corryhabbie Hill as well as it would be another walk that I'd struggle to justify on its own.

I drove up last night after watching the Scotland game and did a car kip so I could start early. I was walking just as it got light and watched the sun come up from the shoulder of the hill

I

I assume that Ben Rinnes is the Moray version of Tinto - a bit of a take the family out for a sunday walk kind of deal, given the motorway path all the way to the top. It was pretty cold in the wind, which was a shock to the system after this summer and autumn so far. I might be becoming an alky as I had a weird craving for a dram even though it was 08:30, not sure why....

Anyway - views were nice and I was back a the car at 9:15am, which was er, a bit odd..

I drove 10 mins to the start of the Corryhabbie walk (where the f**k are you meant to park for this one?) and headed off for walk 2. In truth, it was a massively dull trudge (didn't even take any pictures) - not much to recommend it really other than a decent long view of the Cairngorms from the top. I didn't hang about and was finished this one by 1pm, which allowed me to get home at a decent time. Knocked it off with the weather, so not a bad a day at all..

[David W]

I was fortunate enough to get a great day of weather on Friday which coincided with a family holiday to Fort William. I was able to add Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean to my list.

Stob Ban is spectacular looking and an enjoyable, if straightforward climb. The initial descent from it on frost covered, loose quartz, was a bit unnerving. Mullach nan Coirean had some tremendous views but as a mountain it's pretty non-descript (one of those ones where only the cairn gives you any idea where the top actually is), a bit of bog on the way down as well which became tedious. Still, a great day out with lots of views over to Ben Nevis and the Ring of Steall, which is one of my favourite walks.

[Buddie Holly]

yesterday was perfect weather for a nice wee walk.went from rowerdenan  to inversnaid where we planned to have lunch at the hotel.probably should have checked first mind you as the hotel is shut until feb 2022

 

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Buddie Holly

[Buddie Holly]

biggest disappointment was the amount of rubbish on the walk.this included 2 bikes, a pair of flip flops,a pizza sized box of chicken wings,loads of face masks,soft drink/alcohol drink cans/bottles,tyres and most delightful of all soiled underwear 

what is it with people?

[Swello]

51 minutes ago, Buddie Holly said:

biggest disappointment was the amount of rubbish on the walk.this included 2 bikes, a pair of flip flops,a pizza sized box of chicken wings,loads of face masks,soft drink/alcohol drink cans/bottles,tyres and most delightful of all soiled underwear 

what is it with people?

TBH - I like the period from now until the late spring when the number of people (and therefore the small percentage of arseholes that do this stuff) reduces massively.

[Swello]

Gave the joys of Tannadice a miss on Saturday for a weekend taking some mates walking in Torridon. Original plan was to do Beinn Dearg (50cm short of being a munro) but when I saw the wind forecast, I changed plan and headed to Loch Maree to do Meall a Ghuibhais instead, which had the benefit a great path up to the coire and not spending too much time on the tops.

The "Mountain path" is a rare thing in Scotland in that it's waymarked up to about 600m (I'd done the circular walk with my kids a few years back and it's really good but bloody steep) and it meant that we could make good progress despite the 50mph winds at this point.

From the lochans in the coire, it was a quick dash up the final climb and battle against 75mph winds over to the summit <insert non-existent photo here> where we got a miracle view down loch maree for 45 secs before it closed in again. A quick drop down back to the path meant an easy (and pretty spectacular) walk out in the autumn colours (and pissing rain). On a nice day, this would be a brilliant walk for folk that are wanting to start moving from easy paths all the way to the summits on well known hills to something a bit different and the views would be amazing.

Spent the night in a new campsite in Shieldaig, which was great despite the gale force winds - at least the 1 local boozer/restaurant was really good

 

[invergowrie arab]

Knee bother shite weather has had me out of the game for about 6 weeks. 

Much maligned but thank god for Càrn Aosda as sometimes you just want to be above 3000 feet. Views not bad if you are careful where you look.