Snobot Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 14 hours ago, Swello said: the hill path over to Inverlael is well built... This was the main route between Dundonnell and Clachan before the road between Braemore and Dundonnell was built - the Destitution Road, which was a work creation scheme during the 19th C potato famine. There are a lot of local supernatural stories connected with the hill path - about the 2nd sight, people hearing music and dancing in grassy knolls (sìthean) and disappearing for a year care of the fairy dwellers. The Loch it skirts, Loch an Tiompain was said to be the home of Kelpies. There is definitely an atmosphere at times up there, but the 360 view is amazing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 4 hours ago, Snobot said: This was the main route between Dundonnell and Clachan before the road between Braemore and Dundonnell was built - the Destitution Road, which was a work creation scheme during the 19th C potato famine. There are a lot of local supernatural stories connected with the hill path - about the 2nd sight, people hearing music and dancing in grassy knolls (sìthean) and disappearing for a year care of the fairy dwellers. The Loch it skirts, Loch an Tiompain was said to be the home of Kelpies. There is definitely an atmosphere at times up there, but the 360 view is amazing. I knew about the Destitution Road but I had no idea that hill path was "the road" before that - nice one... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Fancied getting out in the hills today but after the mental amount of rain yesterday, I was aiming for something that would be decent underfoot and wouldn't have any river crossings, so I headed for the Ettrick valley to get a couple of hills - Capel Fell and Croft Head - that are on (or just next to) the Southern Upland Way. The initial walk in was along a big forestry road past Over Phawhope bothy and then along some smaller, older forest roads before branching off along a path that crosses a stile where it opens up. Capel Fell is just a quick up-and-down detour from the SUW but the best bit was out to Croft Head which must be one of the wilder parts of the south - feels more like the highlands. Croft Head has a great zig-zag path up its steep ridge and I was surprised that you could see the sea in the distance from the summit - must be a nice sight for people doing the SUW. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbigal Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Could not find the arseholess on Mountains thread. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51106201 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureboy Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 11 minutes ago, superbigal said: Could not find the arseholess on Mountains thread. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51106201 Read that earlier. Piss poor on the walkers part. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 MRTs seem to be doing this with increasing regularity. I know some of ex MRT guys I know really dislike it. They always say they would rather go out on a wild goose chase than have someone die. It also seems to be a symptom of social media where people have instant access to an audience. In the old days the team would have called them all the c***s under the sun in the van and the Team Leader would have made a carefully worded statement to the press in the morning. Devils advocate position. I have had a sore tendon before on the hill to the extent that I could barely walk. It was in the summer on a fine day near the Eidart and meant a few extra hours extra painful hobbling to Linn of Dee. Now if that was in the middle of nowhere in winter with a storm coming in that few hours could be the difference between life and death. I might phone for assistance. Was he persuaded by pals to seek shelter? Once he had done would he get reception at Ben Alder? Maybe he is a dick but not enough info to make an informed assessment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnash Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Bit harsh by mountain rescue to be honest. He was injured, alone, in the middle of nowhere and in atrocious weather conditions. Ok, the injury wasn't too severe but things could have snowballed from there and it's quite possible he could have died. Not informing them he'd reached the bothy was pretty ignorant (or maybe just super forgetful), but I've heard of far worse call outs that got more lenient treatment by mountain rescue. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureboy Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 It usually takes something quite shocking for MRT to be so scathing in their remarks. I think I'll side with them on this one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureboy Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Reading the MRT statement again, he was found in the bothy with his mates and a sore ankle "injury". The fact that not one of them had the wherewithal to let the services know they were safe suggests naivety at best. That being the case, should they have been on the hill in the first place given the forecast weather conditions? For balance, I contemplated going out early yesterday before the weather was due to worsen, had one look at MWIS and thought sod that. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 I don't doubt the MRT have justification for being pissed off but there used to be an unwritten rule they didn't criticise. Anyway it reminds me. What are people hillwalking related book recommendations? Cairngorm John about John Allan from Cairngorm MRT is outstanding as is The Black Cloud by IDS Thompson about the very first mountain rescue operations in Scotland when it was Ghillies and Shepherds. I might be in a minority of one in that I don't really like Hamish Brown. A very good writer but his personal opinions that are sprinkled liberally throughout his works mark him out as a dick. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureboy Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 17 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said: I don't doubt the MRT have justification for being pissed off but there used to be an unwritten rule they didn't criticise. Anyway it reminds me. What are people hillwalking related book recommendations? Cairngorm John about John Allan from Cairngorm MRT is outstanding as is The Black Cloud by IDS Thompson about the very first mountain rescue operations in Scotland when it was Ghillies and Shepherds. I might be in a minority of one in that I don't really like Hamish Brown. A very good writer but his personal opinions that are sprinkled liberally throughout his works mark him out as a dick. I'm like that with Cameron McNieish for no particular reason. Moonwalker and A Mountain Before Breakfast by Alan Rowan are not bad reads. I'm reading an ancient book given to me by my Uncle called Highland Deerstalker (printed in 1958) about the eastern Cairngorms. It's decent in a historical way. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 11 minutes ago, Futureboy said: I'm like that with Cameron McNieish for no particular reason. Moonwalker and A Mountain Before Breakfast by Alan Rowan are not bad reads. Cameron McNeish is thick as f**k, a terrible writer with terrible half baked opinions, a terrible tv presenter, has ear bleedingly bad Gaelic but worst of all is a plagiarist and wrote a book on the Corbetts without ever climbing them. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fifer Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Gonna try head out to do the Garelochhead to Arrochar stage of the Three Lochs Way tomorrow. Weather's only just changed to show a bit of rain in the morning so hoping it isn't too bad. Anyone done it? Walkhighlands has it as 4.5-5.5 hours and the train times between getting off at Garelochhead and getting back on at Arrochar give me about 4 hours 45 minutes, not sure I'll be able to stop for a relaxing soup and sandwich lunch on this yin. Saying that I have always found the Walkhighlands estimates for munros to be quite generous. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Haven’t done the route up to the way from Garelochhead but 3.5 hours should be plenty once on the main route, though the ground is likely to be very wet at the moment. The train station is in Tarbet so count in another 20 minutes or so walk from Arrochar village as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL-FFC Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Heading for Ben Vrackie tomorrow conditions meant to be cloudy and temperatures of minus 1 but should be a good day. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureboy Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Went up Ben Tirran by Lochs Brandy and Wharral today. It was a wee bit fresh! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fifer Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Haven’t done the route up to the way from Garelochhead but 3.5 hours should be plenty once on the main route, though the ground is likely to be very wet at the moment. The train station is in Tarbet so count in another 20 minutes or so walk from Arrochar village as well.As predicted the walkhighlands 4.5-5.5 hours was ridiculous, 3.5 was about right but I stopped halfway for lunch as I knew I was making decent time. You were right about the boggyness though, especially the first 15 minutes. Also there are two bridges on the walk that are out of use, the second one I had to just scramble across the burn as it was fenced off, the first: There was a sign about 50m beforehand saying "bridge out of service cross here" but where the sign was it was a fairly rapid river that couldn't really be jumped on one go. Thankfully the bridge held [emoji23] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genuine Hibs Fan Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 A wee bit advice needed if anyone can help. Managed to get a nice deal on a hotel in Aberfoyle and a hire car for tonight. Plan is to go up Ben A'an tomorrow, not very high but should get lovely views if the cloud isn't too low. Just looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow and seems we're likely to get some light rain or snow in the morning. We'll have decent gear for a hike (good boots, wind/waterproofs etc) and according to the walk highlands website it's a relatively easy hike. I'm pretty confident it shouldn't be a problem so I suppose I'm just asking if anyone has any experience of that hill and would recommend leaving it in slightly inclement weather. Thanks in advance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.A.F.C Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 A wee bit advice needed if anyone can help. Managed to get a nice deal on a hotel in Aberfoyle and a hire car for tonight. Plan is to go up Ben A'an tomorrow, not very high but should get lovely views if the cloud isn't too low. Just looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow and seems we're likely to get some light rain or snow in the morning. We'll have decent gear for a hike (good boots, wind/waterproofs etc) and according to the walk highlands website it's a relatively easy hike. I'm pretty confident it shouldn't be a problem so I suppose I'm just asking if anyone has any experience of that hill and would recommend leaving it in slightly inclement weather. Thanks in advance.It's a stroll until you get to the last bit which is only really an issue if its icy as coming down theres a few rocky patches.Hard to know until you get up there, nothing hard or even needing climbing. Kids go up easily. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genuine Hibs Fan Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 minute ago, D.A.F.C said: It's a stroll until you get to the last bit which is only really an issue if its icy as coming down theres a few rocky patches. Hard to know until you get up there, nothing hard or even needing climbing. Kids go up easily. Superb, failing a whiteout should be absolutely fine then. cheers pal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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