Glenfinnan to Achnacarry

Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st March 2010

Leaving Edinburgh on the Thursday evening at 6, we arrived late at Glenfinnan and hoofed it up to Corryhully, all 4 of us (Myself, Moray, Chas and Barbara) soaked to the skin by the time we arrived. There was a German student, David. The fire was quickly lit and David was encouraged out of his sleeping bag with a can of beer. Can't remember what time we wound things up, but it was into the wee small hours, which meant a late start on Friday.

 Looking down from the pass to the head of Glenfinnan

Setting off well after lunchtime, we hauled slightly lightened packs over the pass between Streap and Sgurr Thuilm. Having been down this way before, we crossed the river to the east side as early as possible to avoid the lethal gorge path further down that starts just above the waterfall. The path on the east side of the gorge is level and easy to follow. On the west, it is no wider than a boot and with a severe drop to the right. A simple slip would mean disaster - body bag type disaster, not spreigned ankle type disaster.

Reaching the bridge at the bottom, we headed through the woods up to the track as it was getting dark. If there's a path here, we couldn't find it, and simply headed in the general direction of the track, knowing that we would hit it eventually. The forest is very boggy, almost swamplike, and became something of a surreal experience in the pitch black. Chas, being a retired chap was beginning to find it laborious but we weren't far off the bothy now. Still, it took us longer than we thought. A 'diversion' had been set up through yet another section of forest and we had to follow a series of markers before popping out the other side and to the bothy. At least it wasn't raining, or particularly cold.

Glen Pean Bothy

Saturday was an earlier start. We backtracked along to Strathan, which was easy enough, but Chas was still fatigued from the previous day so we hitched a lift from a guy along to the eastern end of Loch Arkaig.  From there it was a relatively short 4 1/2 K's to Invermallie bothy. Arriving with plenty time before darkeness, Invermallie was already filling up with crews from Edinburgh, Fort William and elsewhere. Some were still sleeping from an extremely late night previously. Others had recently arrived and were planning similar. Music played, fires burned, drams were savoured and whole pallets of beer disappeared. Accumulated aches and pains washed away and sleep drifted in.

Sunday was a leasurely walk out to Achnacarry, where we were taken back to Glenfinnan in a taxi by Jamie Blackburn, an old acquiantance from years back.  From there, a decent lunch in the Glenfinnan House Hotel before returning to Edinbugh.

To the park, and beyond (but not far)

Mike is back in town, so we both decided to go for a bit of a run about. A couple of laps of Inverleith Park and finishing with a sprint up the hill that I call 'the long drag'. I can tell I'm going to be a little tender tomorrow. About 4 1/2 miles at a good pace. It looks like my trainers are starting to collapse, which isn't surprising as they must have done a good few thousand miles on concrete.

More running definitely required. This weekend I'm away for a three day bothy trip - four of us, with a more social focus. Then the following week I'm away on a solo 10-day stretch up to the far north for a proper pelt around in the hills. That should shed the few pounds of winter weight I'm still carrying around and get me back up to my normal basic fitness level. I have the Fisherfield 6 in my sights.

Gameshope and Over Phawhope

Friday 19th - Sunday 21st Feb 2010

Another weekend trip - always too short with Sunday evening and home-time arriving too early.  After work on Friday, myself, Moray and Andy headed up to Gameshope bothy a couple of Ks up above Talla Reservoir to get an early start on the St Mary's Loch to Over Phawhope section of the Southern Upland Way.  Parking the car at the top of the reservoir we hoofed it up to the bothy in about forty minutes, with another five spent finding the best place to cross the half-frozen river.  We arrived to find the bothy empty and the thermometer on the wall sitting at 2 degrees C.  There's no stove or fireplace in Gameshope, so we stood little chance of nudging up the thermometer by burning the gas stove. A few tins and a nip of whisky did little to stave off the cold, so we resorted to bouncing around on the cobbled floor to generate heat before climbing into freezing sleeping bags.

 

Gameshope Bothy

Games Hope Burn, Frozen

The next morning was sunny but still freezing.  The river had risen overnight, despite a clear sky all night, and was now flowing fast over the layers of ice, making it even more treacherous to cross.  There was talk of a new bridge in the bothy book.  Hopefully it will stand up to the torrent better than then old one.  Down to the car and over the hill to the cafe at St Mary's Loch for some cake and Irn Bru before jumping onto the SUW behind Tibbie Shiel's Inn.

From Tibbie Shiel's to Over Phawhope is a pretty straightforward, a couple of up-and-overs and a long drag for the last 9 or 10 Ks up Ettrick Water, some of which was in the dark.  We found the bothy empty.  Last time we were here, we arrived late to find someone in residence and a spade jammed against the inside of the door.  It was only after repeated hammering on the door that the guy came through and opened it.  Bad form.  We got the stove lit and set to dinner but the room only warmed up from 4 degrees to 6, with all the heat escapaing from the big window.  I woke early the next morning to find my inflatable sleeping mat was punctured and I was lying on the cold stone floor.

 

Over Phawhope - Andy sorting out some kindling for the next residents

We took it easy packing up and set up some more chopped wood and kindling before heading off over to Capplegill where we called a Taxi to take us back to up to the car at Tibbie Shiel's.  A burger was washed down by a pint and we headed off home.

 

Moray had a problem with his sleeping bag - the temperature differential between inside and outside.

Bynack More

Bynack More (1090m/3576ft) NJ042063

Summitted: Tuesday 2nd September 2008

OS Landranger Sheet 36: Grantown & Aviemore

This is a retrospective post, covering one of the Munros I have climbed in the past, during a solo trek around the Cairngorms.

In the end of August and beginning of September 2008 I was in the Cairngorms for a 10-day stroll to check out the high plateau, having never been up to this area before. I planned a route from bothy to bothy taking in Scheicheachan, the Minigaig, Glen Feshie, Corrour, The Lairig Rhu, Ryvoan, Faindouran Lodge, The Lairig an Laoigh, Bob Scott's and the Tarf Hotel. I wasn't there to do any peaks, but at Ryvoan, a DoE guide suggested that as I was going to Faindouran next stop, it would be just as easy to go over the top of Bynack More. With a heavy rucksack it wasn't easy getting up, but worth the view. The suggested route down the other side turned out to be a heather-clad cliff, which was almost the end of me when one trekking pole collapsed on itself.

The Summit Cairn of Bynack More

The top of Bynack More was clear, but between there and the summit of A' Choinneach (not a Munro, but still an impressive 1017m) the weather closed in quickly and I found the top only by facing myself uphill until I ran out of uphill to face. On the top there are two small cairns, a hundred or so yards apart. From one the other seems to look higher, and vice versa when it is reached. The thick cloud didn't help, so a compass was required to point myself in the direction of the Fords of Avon Refuge.

Looking North from the Summit

Looking South to A' Choinneach and beyond

The decision is made

I have finally decided to make a concerted effort to climb all of Scotland's 283 3000+ft Munros. I have got myself a large Munro and Corbett wall chart to aid planning.

First thing to do is find the summit photos for the Munros I have bagged and check them off the list. I have climbed quite a few Munros over the years, but I only have summit photos for Bynack More (northern Cairngorms) and the peaks of the Beinn a' Ghlo ridge (Carn Liath, Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain, Carn nan Gabhar). My only criteria for completion is a summit photo - either including myself, or taken by myself and including my rucksack (when walking solo, setting up a shot of yourself on a wind-swept, rain-soaked summit isn't easy). So I'm considering 4 of the 283 completed. I recall being up Ben Lomond at least twice, Ben Vorlich (Loch Earn), Ben Lawers, Ben Lui, Schiehallion and a few others I was too young to remember (or pronounce).

So why have I decided to do this? I have spent the last year desk-bound for too many hours, and my fitness has been neglected. I need a target to focus myself for getting back into proper shape. So what better way.

Being vehicle-less, getting to some of the more remote hills will be difficult. As such, having the capacity to bag as many peaks as possible in a short period of time is a must. The running shoes went on again last night, for the first time in too many months. 4.2 miles (RunningMap is great for quick route measurements) in the cold air and without much of a warmup. Now feeling a little bit sore around the top of my hip but nothing that will stop be going out again tonight. Not a bad run considering how long it has been (and how much weight I've put on).

This weekend brings a casual hillwalk/social outing with Moray and Andy down to the Southern Upland Way between St Mary's Loch and Over Phawhope. We've been slowly filling in sections of the SUW, and have now done the stretch between Wanlockhead and Over Phawhope. Some time I want to do the full 212 miles straight across.