Nor’ West News

The NeWSletter of the Nor’ West Sgurramblers Issue No. 159 – July 2014

www.sgurramblers.org.uk

Do NOT miss the club’s 300th Meet – Booking Details below.

MEET REPORTS

EASTER CONUNDRUMS: (Thursday 16 – Tuesday 21 April 2014)

After picking up David Douglas (and a large number of carrier bags of food) on the Thursday I drove to Lochgoilhead where I parked opposite the post office in a car park adjacent to the shore of (unsurprisingly named) . This was opposite a track heading up onto the forested slopes of - a short 3½ hour hill we could sneak in before the Easter meet proper started. From the summit there were excellent views over Loch Long and the Loch (whose name I choose to forget) beside Lochgoilhead. It was a sunny day but we had difficulty walking into the wind when we left the summit. We got to the former Inveraray SYHA hostel at about 1900hrs and found that Brian Billington and Chris Knowles had already arrived. The SYHA put this hostel up for sale last year for about £100k and luckily they found a buyer who reopened it as an independent hostel. Should you wish to support it with your patronage, click on www.inverarayhostel.co.uk. At the rate at which the SYHA is selling off its hostels, this could be the first year since I started walking in Scotland that I will probably not stay in a SYHA hostel. Serves the idiots right.

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Friday was another fine sunny day - and again windy. Brian solved the problem of how to get us all into one car and thus facilitated one of whose rare occurrences when all of us on a meet do the same hill – on this occasion it was Beinn Damhain. Brian showed an ability to think “out of the box” (or maybe out of the car) - he put my tomato and courgette seedlings into Chris’s car to make room in my car for us all. I drove to the Drovers Inn where Chris assured me we could park. This meant that we had to undertake a horrid walk of about 1km along the busy A82 to a landrover track which we followed until it petered out. From there it was a short climb on boggy ground to the summit where we spent about one hour eating our sandwiches and having a doze in the sun. We had different ideas about which way to go down. Chris went back the same way as we went up. Brian and I followed a direct route beside a burn back to the Inn. David took the track with the intention of seeing if he could catch Chris but he never did. Outside the Inn was the mangled wreckage of a hatchback and a motorcycle. The visible damage seemed to indicate that the motorcycle was on the deck at impact. We had a rather expensive but good pint of Deuchars IPA in the Inn in appreciation of the use of their parking. The establishment seemed to be staffed exclusively by people with Scottish accents (rather than the usual East Europeans).

During the night Brian gave us a scare. He had a funny turn – shivering, racing heart beat and collywobbles. Luckily all these issues subsided after about an hour. After a disturbed night, we were up a bit later than the norm on the Saturday morning. Chris and Brian went off together - Chris climbed Stob an Eas and Brian did a shorter walk. David and I climbed the two most southerly of the Luss hills - Beinn a’ Mhic Chaorach and Beinn a’ Mhanaich - from Glen Fruin. The hills in the area have some splendid views and, considering how near they are to Glasgow, they seem to attract surprisingly few people. We saw only 4 other walkers all week. One we met on that Saturday was able to tell us that the island we could see in the distance was Arran. We had worked out for ourselves that the well fortified site we could see on Gare Loch was the Faslane nuclear submarine facility. The ridge down from Beinn a’ Mhanaich was somewhat spoilt by numerous firing range signs. I spotted a (probably common) lizard which for once didn’t disappear, enabling me to point it out to David.

On the Sunday Chris climbed Beinn Lochain and Brian did a shorter walk nearby. David and I went to Loch Eck and climbed Beinn Ruadh, a hill which is seldom climbed. We followed what paths there were and then had to make our own way on steep ground through crags. We chose different routes and the classic happened - I waited for David at 2 a sub top only to find that he had bypassed this top and was nearly at the summit. We enjoyed excellent views of Loch Eck from the summit. On our way down we avoided the crags on the southwest side of the hill and went on a fruitless search for an alleged path near Inverchapel Burn. Back at the car I had a sleep in the sun while David ate the rest of his sandwiches.

On the Monday Brian and Chris climbed Tullich Hill from which they had a good view of , with Chris going on to do Beinn Bhreac in the Luss Hills. David and I chose 3 Grahams just to the south of theirs and decided to climb them from the remote Glen Luss. Parking at the end of the tarmac road we followed a signed footpath (which avoided a farm) up to the summit of Cruach an t-Sidhein. From there we headed towards Doune Hill but I was having problems reconciling what I could see in front of me with the map. The hill on the correct bearing for Doune Hill had three bumps but my map didn’t have a hill with three bumps! David solved this puzzle. His map had three bumps on Doune Hill but my older sheet 56 had only two.

After Doune Hill we set off for a hill named variously as Coire na h’Eanachan on my old map, Beinn Dubh in the Graham book and Mid Hill on some hill walking web sites. From its summit we headed down in the direction of the car to a bealach above which was Beinn Eich, another Graham. This is the only area where four Grahams are readily “baggable” in one day - if one believes what one reads in the Graham book. It was only 2.30pm and we foresaw that it should be a nice walk down the southeast ridge of the fourth Graham to the car. The hill was calling to us: so we went for it. As we expected, it was a long tiring climb - but well worth it. That evening, as it was the last night of the official meet, we went out to the George Hotel for an excellent meal and a couple of pints.

Chris and Brian headed home on the Tuesday as the weather had turned to rain and clag. David and I stayed to do a few more Grahams. On one of these obscure hills we met Brian Johnson who has written several books on walking (published by Cicerone) including a two volume set on the Corbetts (which neither David nor I were aware of). Of more interest to us was that he was collecting information for a book on the Grahams but he did not think that Cicerone were interested in publishing it.

Many thanks go to David for his faultless organising of the meet, and to him, Chris and Brian for their company.

Roger Reeves 3

Views from the “Buzzards Nest” (Meet No. 298, Saturday 17 – Saturday 24 May 2014)

Roger Reeves picked me up at Newark Castle railway station on the Friday afternoon and we travelled northwards in his car, staying overnight at Edmundbyers youth hostel where we were saddened by news from the voluntary warden that the YHA intended selling the building. Continuing onward the following day, clouds darkened as we crossed the Scottish border and by the time we reached Strathyre it had started to rain. It was not looking good before the meet had even started but, apart from the weather, our journey went well.

We had arranged to meet David Douglas at Morrison’s supermarket in Fort William at 3.30pm but, arriving at the appointed time, he failed to respond to my phone call. Expecting him to be inside stocking up supplies for the meet, the only solution was to institute a search of the premises and he was quickly spotted carefully weighing up the best value in the trifle aisle. With two extra pairs of eyes to help, shopping was soon completed and we set off for Kinchellie Croft at Roy Bridge, which was to be our home for the duration of the meet. Our cottage - “Buzzards Nest” - had magnificent views across to the Grey Corries and Ben Nevis. It also had individual bedrooms and a comfortable lounge: so it proved to be a pleasant place to spend our week.

The weather forecast on Sunday morning was not so comforting and we were only too aware of the pouring rain outside. With little enthusiasm for a soaking we settled down, anticipating a lazy day indoors. At ten o’clock, however, Roger leapt to his feet announcing that the weather was better further East, so we should head that way as he had identified a couple of Grahams which could be added to his tally. After a mad scramble to get ready, we drove 70 miles in improving conditions through Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey to the village of Cromdale, parking the car by the entrance to Wester Rynaballoch farm.

With our two objectives at either end of a four mile long ridge, only the lower rounded slopes were visible as we set off across the moor to join a Land Rover track which zig-zagged up the hillside and then deteriorated into a path beside grouse butts. After reaching a low point near the centre of the ridge, we had a steady and not too strenuous climb to Carn a’Ghille Chearr – the northerly Graham. Blasted by a cooling wind on the flat, exposed summit we tried unsuccessfully to find shelter a short distance away for a hurried lunch stop. Not feeling up to a lengthy walk on the first day I decided to return to the car leaving Roger and David to set off over four subsidiary bumps to the

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I intended to descend by a path shown on the 1:50,000 map but this path disappeared after a short distance resulting in slow progress through deep heather until the track we had used for the ascent was regained. Approaching this the rumble of an engine above alerted me to a land rover slowly descending. The driver, presumably the gamekeeper, pulled up and, mentioning disturbance to ground nesting birds, gently admonished me for straying from the path. The stop was fortuitous since, as the vehicle pulled away, I turned round and spotted an eagle circling high in the sky where it was being harried by a smaller bird. It was much too far away to photograph, however. Back at the car and anticipating a lengthy wait for the others, I was surprised that they were only 40 minutes behind me but, as a result of our late start and the two hour drive back to Roy Bridge, there was little time to relax after the evening meal. However, Roger and I did enjoy a tot of Balvenie malt whisky before retiring.

Greeted by bright sunshine on Monday morning, we set out on the drive towards Loch Arkaig with a short stop to photograph the Commando Memorial against the backdrop of Ben Nevis. We were heading for Glas Bheinn - another Graham - but on arrival at the Eas Chia-aig car park near the end of the loch we were greeted by a notice on the usual path up the glen warning of work going on above and indicating a diversion via a forestry track further back along the road. This alternative route turned out to be four times the direct distance but we discovered later how fortunate we were to have taken the longer route. The work concerned a new hydro-electric scheme and, as we approached the point where the old path would have joined the forestry road above, the slope below was a scene of total devastation which would have been almost impossible for us to overcome. In blistering heat we passed a complex of portacabins, after which the track was of motorway proportions for some distance. Beyond that, what must once have been a pleasant path through the forest was a mess of mud, puddles and fallen branches. Here we were overtaken by a couple, heading for Meall na Teanga via a rather unusual route, who told us they had ignored the warning notice at the car park and had the greatest difficulty escaping the valley onto the forestry road.

Out of the mire at last we were pleased to find a sturdy modern bridge allowing an easy crossing of the Abhainn Chai-aig. But gaining the foot of the north ridge of Glas Bheinn necessitated crossing another stream. Although Roger and David balanced expertly to cross the stream on rocks with ease, I was far more nervous and had to ascend a considerable distance, with the others following on the opposite side, before I dared risk a crossing where the valley levelled out. There followed a steep ascent over moss and bog to the crest of the ridge and Roger was soon far ahead. 5

David and I found him snoozing at the summit cairn when we arrived. A cooling breeze on the summit was most welcome as we rested away from the heat of the valley below. Not wishing to experience the hurdles of the hydro works, we were grateful to find an alternative descent, south-westwards to a path which followed the Allt Dubh and brought us out on the road with a two mile walk to the car park. While attempting to photograph the Eas Chia-aig waterfall back at our starting point, I discovered that my camera was damaged - meaning I would be unable to take any pictures for the rest of the trip.

Returning to the croft we were encouraged by the TV weather forecast for the following day. Enjoying the advantages of our exclusive accommodation there was no need to rush over the evening meal which in the case of Roger and myself was followed by a wee dram of Old Pulteney.

Tuesday’s breakfast was accompanied by a male Yellow Hammer tapping on the patio window for several minutes, apparently annoyed at the presence of his own reflection inside! Not wishing to waste the weather opportunity, we headed up Glen Roy to climb a Graham - Leana Mhor (East) - and another Graham called Leana Mhor on the west side of the valley. Glen Roy - rather unimaginatively - also sports three Carn Deargs, all of which are Corbetts! After crossing the river by a bridge near the head of the glen, we followed the east bank southwards as far as the disused bothy of Brunachan. Climbing upwards from here the lower slopes proved hard going, through deep heather and over wet moss with few signs of a path. Above 500 metres the gradient eased and we were soon at the tiny cairn on the summit where Roger, having beaten David and me by some minutes, was snoozing yet again.

After a restful lunch we set off downwards towards Brunachan but decided to pick our way down a narrow corrie rather than face again the interminable heather of the north ridge. As it was a relatively easy walk on a pleasantly warm day, we were encouraged to sit and rest a while by a fence some distance above the valley floor. Just starting to nod off I was shocked into wakefulness by a shout of “Otter” from Roger. I had missed seeing it run along the edge a short distance in front of us. But we all dashed to the top of the slope and watched it for over a minute, zig- zagging between tussocks below, at one point startled by a lamb jumping in front of it, until it disappeared away to our left. Following this excitement we returned to the car and on the way back called at the Stronlossit Inn in the village to check the suitability of its menu for a meal of Friday night. It was essential of course that we also sampled the beverages on offer (and I don’t mean tea or coffee!). We had haggis for our evening meal and retired to bed with the prospect of miserable weather on Wednesday.

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Rain battered the roof all night, continuing into the morning and resulting in a lethargic start to the day. I decided to stay at the cottage anyway but Roger and David departed at 11.15am with the intention of tackling Meall Blair, another of the Grahams along Loch Arkaig. As I relaxed at the Buzzards Nest, clouds over the Grey Corries Munros eventually lifted revealing their majesty once again. The others returned having made a successful ascent; although wet underfoot and in cloud for most of the time it had cleared at the summit allowing good views out to the East and along Loch Arkaig below. After dinner we watched a DVD of “The Mountains of Scotland” from the air - the dramatic views marred somewhat by having all been filmed in perfect summer sunshine. We followed this with “Chasing Ice” - the dramatic story of an attempt to produce time- lapse videos of retreating glaciers. Its breathtaking pictures of spectacular landscapes would be enough to convince anyone of the veracity of global warming.

Fortified by porridge for breakfast, we headed eastwards again on Thursday, crossing the River Spean on the Fersit road before parking near Inverlair. This area is part of the Corrour Estate and information boards described their commendable intention of removing boring forest monoculture, replacing it with native hardwoods. The early stages of this plan were clear on the four kilometres of forest tracks taking us to the foot of the day’s objective, Cnap Cruinn, another Graham of course! Emerging from the forest onto open ground, a prominent cairn was clearly visible, silhouetted against the sky some 400 metres above us. Heading directly towards this we trudged over tiring tussocks until the gradient increased with Roger leading us onwards up semi-vertical bog. It was a relief when the slope eased at last as we picked our way through an area of scattered rock to the summit with its cairn perched atop a stark rock rib - undoubtedly the most mountain-like of any visited during the week. It was a superb viewpoint sandwiched between higher, snow- bedecked hills, the Corbetts and Munros of the Grey Corries and the Loch Treig Munros. Finding it too cold there for lunch, the obligatory (and the week’s only) group photograph was taken and we made a rapid descent, sheltering for lunch half way down. Arriving at the croft quite early there was time to enjoy a relaxing evening.

I had already decided not to walk on the Friday, intending to catch the train into Fort William for a couple of hours. For David and Roger the final day meant yet another visit to Loch Arkaig to pick off Sgurr Choinnich, the one remaining Graham in that area. Parking at Muick Nature Reserve they found notices announcing an ‘exclusion zone’ on the far shore of the loch. Mention elsewhere of Sea Eagles aroused suspicion that there might be a nest. The ascent turned out to be pretty relentless, following a path at first

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before climbing a deer fence. Thereafter it was (as Roger described it) just a plod, enlivened only by spotting a Meadow Pipit’s nest with four eggs. It was cold and windy on the summit so they didn’t hang about, stopping for lunch part way down where they could enjoy magnificent views along and across Loch Arkaig before continuing the descent. In spite of a few short showers it had been a pleasant hill day.

The late afternoon was spent relaxing before packing for an early departure on Saturday. At seven o’clock we headed to the extremely busy Stronlossit Inn and became somewhat concerned that we might not be able to eat when told that there was no table available. Maybe we should have remembered that it was the start of the Bank Holiday weekend and made a reservation? But we spoke to someone who appeared to be the head waiter and, initially, he squeezed us onto a table intended for only two to wait until we could move to more comfortable spot and order our meal to be served when another table became available. In spite of understandably slow service on such a busy evening the food was very good and this place is worth bearing in mind for future visits to the area.

We were up bright and early at six o’clock the following morning and on our way homeward soon after seven. For Roger in particular there was a lengthy drive to Norwich, delivering David to Edinburgh and myself to Newark en route. I am grateful to Roger for providing transport, most particularly to David for so efficiently planning and catering for yet another meet; and to both for their companionship both on and off the hill. The venue was perfect. Maybe I am getting soft in my old age but the cottage made a pleasant change from crowded hostel or bunkhouse accommodation and proved only a little more expensive. Brian Billington

FORTHCOMING MEETS

MEET No 299: Torridon/Glen Urquhart Dates: Saturday 5 - Sunday 13 July 2014. Area: Torridon & Glen Affric. Accommodation: Torridon youth hostel and Glen Urquhart independent hostel, with stops at Crianlarich youth hostel and the Great Glen independent hostel en route. Programme: You should be spoilt for choice. The many beautiful mountains of Torridon and Glen Affric are readily accessible from the two main hostels. And the Fannichs and other exciting mountains are within driving distance. There will also be opportunities to climb some of the many other attractive mountains accessible en route to and from the Nor’ West. 8

Transport: If coming by car, please advise the organiser how many passengers you can take and your approximate route and time of journey. Maps: OS 1:50,000 Nos 19, 20, 24, 25, 33, 34, 40-42 & 50-52. Food: To be provided by the Meet organiser, unless requested otherwise, from the evening meal on the first Saturday to breakfast on the second Sunday inclusive Bookings: Please contact the Meet organiser immediately if you wish to attend belatedly. Meet Organiser: Chris Knowles.

MEET No 300: Glencoe

Dates: Friday 5 – Tuesday 9 September 2014. Area: Glencoe. Accommodation: Glencoe youth hostel. Programme: An opportunity to climb some of the most attractive hills in Scotland. Transport: If coming by car, please advise the organiser how many passengers you can take and your approximate route and time of journey. Maps: OS 1:50,000 Nos 41 & 50. Food: To be provided by the Meet organiser, unless requested otherwise, from the evening meal on the Friday to breakfast on the Tuesday inclusive. To help mark the special occasion of the club’s 300th meet, it is intended to have a celebratory meal at the Clachaig Inn on the Saturday evening. Bookings: The booking deadline has passed but those wishing to book belatedly should talk to the Meet organiser to ascertain whether there are any options open to them. Meet organiser: David Douglas.

MEET No 301: AGM Dates: Friday 17 - Sunday 19 October 2014. Area: Yorkshire Dales. Accommodation: To be advised. Programme: The AGM will be held on the Saturday evening, followed by a show of photographs taken during the year (if members care to bring them). Transport: If coming by car, please advise the Meet organiser how many passengers you can take and indicate approximate route and times of journeys. Maps: To be notified. Food: It is planned to eat breakfast and evening meals provided by the hostel management. Please advise the meet organiser if you intend to cook your own meals.. Bookings: If you will be attending, please confirm by e-mail. The Meet organiser will advise what deposit is required. All other costs will be payable to the meet organiser at the end of the Meet. Meet Organiser: David Cheesman

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