THE SCOTTISH MOUNTAINEERING CLUB JOURNAL THE SCOTTISH Mountaineering C lu b J o u r n a l . E D IT E D B Y F. S. GO GGS. VOL. XIII. EDINBURGH: THE SCOTTISH MOUNTAINEERING CLUB. r9 i 5- CONTENTS. — i— PACK Glencar, Co. Kerry. By James A. Parker - - - i The Gullies of Coire an Uaigneis. By E. W. Steeple 13 Scottish Place Names : Revision of Ordnance Survey Maps - 17 In Memoriam— John Macmillan - - , - 32 Donald Fraser - 33 Lord Strathcona - - - 35 John Muir ------ 206 Will. C. Smith - . 294 Odds and Ends - - 46, 115, 175, 219, 296, 342 Corrour in Snow. By George Sang - - - - 65 The Islands of Loch Awe— IV.—Inischonnel. By Wm. Douglas 73 A Few Odd Technicalities. By Alex. White 83 Knoydart and Glen Dessarry. By Charles Deards 90 Half-Hours in the Club Library— Thomas Wilkinson’s Tour, 1787. By IK G. Macalistcr - 99, 157 John Knox’s Tour, 1786. J J. Lettice’s Tour, 1792. J- By T. Fraser Campbell - 321 Miss Spence’s Tour, 1816. J The War ------ 123 „ Roll of Honour .... 217,292,341 „ Members’ Experiences in Returning to Britain under War Conditions ----- 228 „ Members’ War Experiences - 344 Hills and Mountains: The Highlands and the Alps. By. Marion I. New bigin - - - - -124 Kinlochleven and Its Surroundings. By W. Inglis Clark 135 Notes on the Kinlochleven District. By Jas. C. Thomson - 146 Off-Days. By A. Webster Peacock - 149 Some Walks in Skye. By Wm. Galbraith - - 183 The Green Ray. By James A. Parker - 192 Suilven. By George Sang - - - - 201 Through Rothiemurchus to Rebhoan. By E. P. Buchanan - 251 Mountains and Art. By Euan B. Robertson - - - 259 VI Contents. The S.M.C. in Clover. By IV. Inch's Clark - 268 On Some Old Maps. I., II. By Alfred Harker 273. 3i° The Eastern Faces of Blaven and Clach Glas. By Jas. C. Thomson ...... 282 Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus, over Corryarrick. By A. /»’. Noble ...... 301 The S.M.C. in Clover again. By Walter A. Reid 337 F u l l or H a l f -Pa g e I llustrations :— Macgillycuddy’s Reeks from Beenkeragh - - Facing „ „ The Cummeennapeasta Peaks „ Coomalougha Lough „ 6 Coomacullen ----- n 6 The Twelve Pins of Connemara „ 10 The Cliffs of Coire an Uaigneis (outline sketch) - „ 14 Lochaber (photogravure) - - - - „ 38 The Icy North—Loch Ghuilbinn - - - „ 65 Loch Hourn from Druim Fada „ 90 Stob Coire na h’lubhair and Stob Coir a Mhail from Sgor a Mhaim ----- Facing 108 ’ Binnein Mor ----- u 110 View of the Cairngorms from near Rothicmurchus „ 123 Summit of Goatfell ----,, 132 Ben Liathach -----„ 132 Scuir Dearg of Ben Bheithir from Callert {in colour) „ •37 Garbh Bheinn and the Pap of Glencoe {in colour) „ 140 The Pap of Glencoe {in colour) „ •44 Pinnacle Ridge of Sgurr ft Mhaim - „ 146 Stob Ban from South Ridge of Sgurr a Mhaim - „ 146 Cul Beag and An Stac from Suilven - - „ 169 The Coigach Peaks from An Stac- - - „ 172 Blaven and Loch Slapin from Torran - - „ 183 Suilven from the South „ 202 „ Eastern End from the West - - „ 204 Ben Cruachan -----„ 212 On the Luineag—looking to Braeriach - - „ 251 In Rothiemurchus Forest {collotype) - - „ 252 In the Pass of Rebhoan {collotype) - - „ 254 The Green Loch, and the Sithean Dubh da Choimhead Facing 256 Map of Scotland. Abraham Ortelius, 1570 - „ 278 Ben Eighe from Loch Coulin {photogravure) - „ 287 Liathach ------ ,1 288 Ruadh Stac Mor from Bealach a Ghuibhais „ 290 Second Pyramid (south face) from the third - „ 298 „ „ (beginning of difficult part) - „ 298 Contents. vii PAGE F u l l or H a l f -P a ck I llustrations —continued. Corryarrick, Pass of 301 „ Highest Bridge on Laggan side of - - 308 „ ,, „ Fort Augustus side of - 308 Map of Scotland. Tindal ----- 312 Moncga Hill - - 338 I llustrations in T e x t :— Nails Tricouni - - - 62 Inischonnel Castle ----- 73 „ „ Plan of - - - - 81 Compass - - - 84 Protractors ------- 85 Man Hitch Knot ------ 89 Sketch Map to show the structure of Europe - 128 Map of British Isles by Ricardus Corinensis - - 275 Blaven, eastern face {sketch) .... 282 Map of Glen Garry District, by Faden, 1778 - - 319 E x c u r sio n s a nd N o t e s :— S.M.C. Abroad in 1913 - - - 47 „ „ Ski-ingin 1914 - - - -116 „ >n 1 9 1 4 ..................................................221 Sgurr Tearlach—Coruisk Face - - - - 58 Sgurr Mhic Choinnich ----- 58 • Sgurr Coire an Lochain ----- 58 Sgurr Tearlach “ A ” Gully- 59 Sron na Cichc—Eastern Gully—Second Pitch - - 59 Argyll’s Bowling Green ----- 59 „ „ Derivation of Ardgoil - - 61 Nails Tricouni ------ 62 Ladies’ Scottish Climbing Club - 118 Sron na Ciche—Trap Face Climb - - - 176 A Distinguished German Gentleman - - 177 The Barns of Bynac - - - - 177 Craig Maskeldie ------ 178 Dalnacardoch to Trinafour- - 179 Kingshouse, Glencoe - - - 179 New Zealand Alpine Club ----- 297 The Pyramids ------ 297 R e v ie w s a n d N o tic es :— Dr James Geikie’s “ Mountains, Their Origin, Growth, and Decay" - - - - - - 120 Arthur L. Bagley’s“ Walks and Scrambles in the H ighlands” 122 viii Contents. TAGE R e v ie w s a n d N o t ic es—continued. Neil Munro’s “ The New Road” - 180 G. W. Young’s “ Freedom.” Poems - - - 249 Douglas W. Freshfield’s “ Unto the Hills.” Poems - 299 P r o c e e d in g s of t h e Ci.un :— Twenty-Fifth Annual General Meeting and Dinner, 1913- 36 New Year Meet at Crianlarich, 1914 - - - 40 S.M.C. Library and Club-Room - - 44, 114, 215, 293 Easter Meet at Fort William, 1914 - - - 108 President’s (Dr Clark) Lecture and Reception, 28th February 1914 - - - - - - 113 Whitsuntide Meet at Inchnadamph and Achillibuie, 1914 166 Twenty-Sixth Annual General Meeting and Dinner, 1914 208 New Year Meet at Loch Awe, 1915 - - - 211 Lantern Evening—H. Raeburn on British Caucasus Expedition of 1914 ----- 215 Letter from Sir Hugh T. Munro re proposed Meet in May 1915 ------ 216 Meet at Lindertis, January 1915 - - - 268 Easter Meet at Kinlochewe and Crianlarich, 1915 - 287 Lantern Evening—President (Dr Clark), 16th February ' 9 1 5 ...................................................................................293 Meet at Lindertis—May 1915 - 337 September ig/j / . Parker MACGILLYCUDDY’S REEKS FROM 1JEENKERAGH THE SCOTTISH ffftountaium'ing Club Journal. V ol. X III. F kh ku ary 191.). No. 73. G LEN C A R , CO. K E R R Y . By J ames A. Barker. T he Waterville Promontory in the south-west of Ireland may be said to be bounded, or protected, on the east by the Lakes of Killarney, and on its other three sides by the Grand Atlantic Route of the G. S. and W. Railway. For the lover of primitive country it is fortunate that such is the case, as the scenic attractions of Killarney are so great that few of the tourists and trippers by whom it is overrun in the height of the season forsake its undoubted charms and penetrate further west than the Gap of Dunloe, and if they do, the magnificent scenery of the Atlantic Route holds them to the coast, round which they move from one “ Southern ” hotel to another. Of the interior of the promontory they know little, and probably care less, with the result that the district is still about as primitive as it was before Killarney became popular. Motor cars and picture postcards, these signs of early twentieth-century civilisation, are practically unknown, and are almost as rare as the Killarney fern. And yet the district contains some of the most charming mountains in the British Islands. So few descriptions * of them, or, as a matter of fact, of any other Irish mountains, have appeared, that the following notes of a week that I * See Appendix 15 at end of article. LXXIII. A 2 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal. spent among them in September 1913 may possibly be of general interest. Should anyone consider that a paper on the Irish Mountains is outwith the scope of the Journal of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, I would remind him that the original Scotia or Scotland was what is now called Ireland, and that present-day Scotland was at one time called New Scotland ! The best centre for exploring the district is undoubtedly Glencar Hotel, which is a very delightful and thoroughly Irish inn situated on the east side of the River Caragh, about two miles south of the head of Lough Caragh. It is a rambling two-storied building—half farmhouse and half hotel—and is largely patronised by anglers. One need not go to it expecting the luxuries of the Ritz or of a modern railway hotel; but the climber will find it after his own heart. He will at times be strangely reminded by it of Sligachan Hotel as it was twenty years ago, before the advent of dinner at separate tables and, alas! evening dress—a resemblance which is in part due to the fact that the Reeks as seen from near Glencar have a strong resemblance to the Coolins as seen from the Portree road. Glencar is most conveniently reached by driving from Killorglin station on the Valentia Railway, from which it is eleven miles distant. If the traveller is a stranger to the district he cannot fail to be struck with three things during the drive—namely, the contrast between the squalor of Killorglin and the magnificence of its new cathedral, the very fine view of the Reeks which opens out in front during the earlier part of the drive, and the quantities of Osntunda regalis alongside every stream and even in the peat-hags. There are three groups of mountains * round Glencar, namely, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks,f about four miles to the east, the Glenbeigh mountains about seven miles to the west, and the mountains round the head of Cloon Lough about six miles to the south.