Glen Etive wild camping - 28th April 2011

Following Bracken's double Munro debut on Buachaille Etive Beag we thought it would be kinder for her weary paws to take a relaxing rest day down in Glen Etive. After our stay the previous night at the Kingshouse camping ground, we decided to venture down the Glen in search of somewhere more secluded by the River Etive to wild pitch.

Dotted along the single track road on the left as you drive down, there are some good places to set up camp. It's usually best to head there early, as before long all the more level spaces get snapped up. We took a drive down to the Loch and then back to find the most appropriate pitch for the dogs. Finding a spot where the river was nice and deep for them to enjoy a good swim was our priority, and we luckily managed to locate a small green area of ground just above one of the rivers many waterfalls.

Having already bought provisions we set up camp with all that we needed and spent a wonderful chilled out day playing with Alfie and Bracken by the river and exploring the surrounding area. Later in the evening we were joined by 14 deer making their way up the glen. As the sun set and the stars once again came out, all we could hear was the constant stream of the waterfall and the occasional cries from birds settling down for the night. Bliss!

Buachaille Etive Beag, Glen Coe - 27th April 2011

Pronunciation/Translation: Buachaille Etive Beag - booakil etiv bek (small herdsman of Etive), Stob Coire Raineach - stop kora ran-ach (peak of the corrie of ferns), Stob Dubh - stop doo (black peak)

Post Easter camping and hiking got off to a belated start on Tuesday 26th. It was to be Shona's new Springer Spaniel's first camping trip and we were a little unsure how Bracken, formerly known as "Marli" but changed to curb Alfie's confusion, would get on sleeping al fresco.

As things turned out she coped with all the fresh air and fun admirably. Day one saw us ease her in gently with a semi-wild camp near Victoria Bridge by Loch Tulla. After pitching, we took a walk over the West Highland Way path to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. After a quick pint we headed back along the same path to the Inveroran Hotel for another, my kind of walk!

A few doggy paddles around in the river for our two pooches, some food for us and it was soon time to bed down, and for a while gaze up at an amazing starry lit, night sky.

Day two, and we moved on up to the Kingshouse Hotel camping ground with the tent. After our usual hit of cappuccino from Nisa in Glen Coe village we got our kit organised and set off along the lower end of the Lairig Eilde for our traverse of Buachaille Etive Beag, the little brother of Etive Mor.

There are two Munros to complete on this stretch of mountain, Stob Coire Raineach to the northeast and the slightly higher Stob Dubh to the southwest. I previously climbed them in late summer last year and felt that they would be a good place to introduce Bracken to the delights of Munro-bagging.

A short way along the Lairig Eilde, just before the path veers down to cross the stream, another path forks left uphill towards the first steep section of this route. An abundance of carefully laid steps take you steadily up onto the bealach of Mam Buidhe. Here is a good place to stop for some intake of food and also gives some cracking views of Buachaille Etive Mor to the east.

Many hikers prefer to scale Stob Dubh first then Stob Coire Raineach, then head back down from Mam Buidhe the same way they ascended. Where I can, and if time permits, I like to climb over a mountain rather than just up and down it. I feel that you get to know the area much better this way and it makes for a more interesting walk too.

We tackled Stob Coire Raineach first then headed southwest along the ridge over the middle rise to Stob Dubh, then descended south off the second summit. Here we got to indulge in a little bit of scree surfing. After dropping considerably in altitude we picked our way around some of the tricky crags and moved westerly across the contours to lower ground on the southern side of the Lairig Eilde. We finally joined onto the main path that runs the full length of the valley and although a long walk back, it is very pleasant in the late afternoon sunshine.

The usual post-walk refueling took place at the Clachaig Inn, I just wish they'd stop serving those mushed up peas with their fish and chips, could it be the chef is a Sassenach?

A couple of days camping in Lochaber and Wester Ross 27-29 March 2011

As Shona bagged Monday and Tuesday off from her work, we headed up the A82 in search of some new places to explore. It was a good excuse to christen our replacement tent (Karrimor Beta) after the inner from our old one managed to kite-surf it's way across the Sound of Arisaig a few weeks back.

We would have set off earlier had I not decided to clean out my platypus hydration tube. This took longer than I anticipated, due to the difficulty in removing bullets of saturated kitchen roll while using a wire coat hanger and a bicycle pump.

Because of my useless pipe-cleaning episode, we made it up to Fort William just after 7pm and decided that the Glen Nevis campsite would be ok for the night. I just want to add here that the woman on reception is a great ambassador for this campsite. She is always very cheery and willing to help out, and on this occasion she had clocked off and was getting in her car to leave, but still happy to direct us to our pitch and on-site facilities.

The normal deerfield area was closed for the winter, so we were pitched alongside a handful of other back-packing tents on the caravan area in front of the main entrance. Underfoot it was nice and flat with short, spongy, mossy grass which made an ideal sleeping arrangement. A thing I love about this site is the Tawny Owl soundtrack as you drift off to sleep.

The next day we drove up through Glen Shiel and could easily have been persuaded to do the southern ridge walk if only we had an extra car to drive us back to the Cluanie Inn. We continued on and decided to head up to Torridon. Plans to camp beside the Youth Hostel here were scrapped when we saw the state of the small boggy area set aside as a free camping zone. Yes, there is a toilet/shower block, but sadly nowhere to park other than the firestation which was emblazoned with anti-parking signage.

A wild camp looked on the cards, but as with most areas of Scotland, overnight parking is the main problem. I really think that authorities should consider this and allow a certain number of layby areas to permit overnight stays so that responsible campers can park and then hike to an out of sight area at altitude to wild camp.

We pushed on up the road towards Ullapool, and decided to try a campsite in Gairloch.
No other tents were here at all and only a few caravans were dotted around the large field. A pleasant evening was somewhat dampened not only by the rain, but also by an over-zealous permanent resident who insisted that Alfie was kept on a lead at all times. Had we met this gentleman earlier in the day I would have packed up and moved to another site. Instead after a few heated exchanges we bedded down for the night in our tent. Alfie our springer spaniel is for the most part an excellent close controlled dog who returns to whistle and never ventures further than my arms can throw his ball, but some people sadly tar all dogs with the same brush.

Up early the next morning, we were eager to leave behind the restrictive site. A rainy night before was now turning into a pleasant dry day, which made for an enjoyable drive south. We stopped to explore the 914 outdoor shop at Eilean Donan Castle, where Shona got a nice pair of Ron Hills and I invested in a Deuter bladder tube cleaner! Happy days.

In the afternoon we reached Glen Coe and with the weather being so nice we decided to walk along the lower glen trails, so often missed out in our eagerness to gain altitude. Alfie had great fun messing about in the River Coe and it was nice to just relax and enjoy the tranquility of the glen with it's clear waters and only a light breeze.

Breathtaking Mountain Ranges

I guess one of the best parts of living in Glasgow for me, is the easy access I have to the Scottish Highlands, be it along the northwest coast or even the Cairngorms. They are always only a couple of hours drive away.
The Mountains of Scotland's reputation benefits greatly from their accessibilty. They are not high in comparison to other ranges throughout the world, but when you consider that so many of Scotland's Munros start so near to sea level, the altitude of their summits becomes almost irrelevant.
The footage in the video below was shot on ranges all over the world including Patagonia, South America. An area where, in my opinion has the finest array of jagged mountain peaks in the world. Every time I view this film I'm drawn nearer to selling up and moving to Argentina! In a way I'm lucky that I have the Scottish Mountains to satisfy my hunger for the wilderness, if not, I'd already be there...      

...enjoy!

Scafell Pike from Great Langdale - 14th February 2011

We headed down to the Lake District early on Sunday to join up with my Sister's family and celebrate my Mum's birthday. My Dad had kindly agreed to drop us off at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel very early on monday morning. Our plan was to head up Langdale and ascend the winding path of Rossett Gill and hopefully explore the surrounding crags and peaks before summiting Scafell Pike.

The weather forecast had seemed promising. Although from 700m up was covered in cloud, we were pleading that as the sun rose, the clouds might dissipate and allow us to get some trad-climbing pitches in where Alfie could run up at the side. It wasn't looking great, and as we neared the upper end of the Langdale valley, the clouds grew dark and began dropping hail stones upon us.

We stopped for a bit of breakfast at the sheep fold below Rossett Gill. Armed with our helmets, axes, rope and climbing rack, we were going to need this energy boost to help us haul our gear up to Angle Tarn. By the time we reached the top of the Gill, the hail had turned to a steady flurry of snow and the ground up at this altitude was now covered with a thick layer of soft snow.

We trudged on past the tarn and noticed that the two hikers that had been ahead of us on the path were turning back with their little springer spaniel in tow. They had got up as far as the first of the X stone shelters according to foot/paw prints. Here, we decided to take another snack break, and some shelter from the now heavy snowfall. It was looking less likely that we would be able to do any climbing on the crags further up with weather closing in so quickly.

Passing through Esk Hause we continued upwards through driving wind and snow towards the second X stone shelter below Great End. From here we veered southwest and climbed up onto the boulder strewn ridge to Broad Crag. At this stage visibility was next to nothing. Strong winds were whipping up spindrift from the south and I was worried that the thick snow covering these boulders might cause Alfie some difficulty, as deep gaps were being filled in like hidden leg breakers.

He seemed to cope ok, although he clearly wasn't enjoying the spindrift, and low temperatures were causing his whiskers and ears to form icicles. At this stage now it was really just a case of navigating from one cairn to the next, I was trying to peer for the next cairn through orange brightened goggles which helped a bit. Shona was doing her best to shield Alfie from the elements while bearing the brunt of the frozen, whipping spindrift.

The top of England could quite easily have been missed out altogether had it not been for the fact that there didn't appear to be any higher ground. searching around for the summit shelter in this whiteout was comical! A quick photo of us and snow cloud and it was about turn the way we had come. I really didn't want to stop for even a photo as Alfie looked as though he could literally freeze solid if we did.

Finding our way back to Broad Crag and Great End was a chore also, as our tracks had since been covered with more snow. Cairns and boulders were a saving grace and once we got our heads below the line of whipping ridge winds, we were able to take in our surroundings a bit better even though visibility was still only a few metres in any direction.

Our original plan to descend via Esk Pike and Bowfell was totally out of the question. The winds from the south were too strong and it became important for us to get to lower altitude with Alfie. I was quite relieved when the X stone shelter at Great End came into view. Striding on downwards to Esk Hause it was  great to feel my fingers again aswell as my nose.

We stopped at the first X stone shelter to catch our breath and snack on some chocolate. You would never have known that we had stopped here a little earlier on from the smooth covering of snow. Slightly warmed up we headed back down to Angle Tarn where we came upon a lone hiker making his way up the way we had come. His axe, boots and waterproofs indicated that he was experienced, so I didn't wish to patronize him with weather warnings. I did however wonder as we continued down to Rossett Gill what he might be thinking as he followed our diminishing footprints upwards onto the ridges, and hoped that he had good gloves and goggles in his pack for his own sake.

Once over the brow of the Gill we descended the winding path again towards Langdale. Snow was now covering much more of the lower hillsides than we had noted on our walk in. The snow had turned from sleet to rain here and we took on a real soaking as we made our way back along the valley to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

A post walk pint and warm bowl of soup was most welcome as we warmed up in front of the hikers bar fire. After a while even Alfie began to cheer up a bit. (apologies to anyone who wanted soup after us as we had the last two bowls of the batch.)

Alaskan Adventure

Footage of Samuel Johnson and Ryan Hokanson's expedition to the Hayes Range in Alaska courtesy of Black Diamond Equipment and the American Alpine Club. New climbs include routes on Mount Hayes and Mount Balchen.


BD grassroots athlete Samuel Johnson's expedition to Alaska's Hayes Range from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

New Years Camping - Sun 2nd January 2011

I'm not really sure who came up with the idea, but at some point on Sunday morning a plan was hatched. We would drive north and camp overnight somewhere that was close to an atmospheric hostelry.

We quickly packed our minimal camping kit and dog into the car and made our way across the Erskine Bridge and onto the A82 northbound.

At first the plan was to camp by Beinglas Farm and eat at the Drovers Inn, but a quick scout around the campsite told us that things were most certainly shut down for the winter. Plan B was to head up to Loch Tulla and maybe eat at Bridge of Orchy or Inveroran. We later learned that the Bridge of Orchy Hotel had no water supply, The Inveroran Hotel was in darkness up at the bridge camping area. No point in camping here with no place open, and so to Plan C!

Funnily enough the scene of our previous camping exploit would provide us with exactly what we needed, an open bar restaurant and a nearby pitch for our tent. Three cheers for the Kingy! open every day all year round. A good job too as Alfie was getting fed up in the back of the car and darkness was deftly taking over from dingy daylight.

Three tents were already pitched here with an  array of vehicles parked alongside, we parked up and squeezed our small tent on the end of the row. We were using Shona's new backpacking tent, which I'd only seen erected in the shop, so to attempt a first pitch in the cold and dark would be interesting. Fortunately with it being so lightweight and having only one ceiling pole things were never going to be too problematic. With the tent now up and our gear stored inside we locked the car and headed for the warmth of the Kingshouse Hotel now beckoning us on the otherside of the footbridge.

At first I thought we were the only ones gracing the walkers bar but then noticed a few glasses and maps on one of the tables. I ordered some drinks and Alfie got offered a bowl of water too which is always a nice gesture, although he would need to share it later. The occupants of the other table returned from the toilets one by one, three in total, the final gent taking the outer bench thus showing his back to the rest of the bar.

Now that Alfie is into his second year, he has begun to realise that he can sometimes get things by using his special art of cute-communication. He has learned a way of tilting his head and releasing a quiet yet squeeky whine. It's usually performed when he either wishes attention or perhaps sees something he wants in his possession.

The comedy value of what happened next will remain with me for some time i'm sure. Alfie decided to let out a whine aimed at Shona. She leaned forward and asked him "what is up?" Whatever it was that prompted Alfie to whine had in his mind been of the utmost importance and so, on being asked "what's up?" He decided to let fly the sharpest, shrillest of barks, which echoed loudly around the bar due to the slate floor and stoney walls. In the same instance the guy with his back to the rest of the bar jumped about six inches into the air while clutching his pint. The best of it was, he never once looked round after getting such a fright. Well, it must have taken us five minutes to dry the tears from our eyes and get ourselves composed once more.

We ordered some food and more drinks. A gent with an acoustic guitar had crept in and was busy tuning up in the corner near the door. The jumpy guy and his two companions had left and were now replaced by a couple from Kent who were staying at the Hotel and were accompanied by  a young rottweiller with the strangest of names... Hallelujah?

Soon the walkers bar began to fill up. A group of fellow campers arrived to play darts and another couple came through from the main bar, then went to get their two black labradors from their room. We had to keep Alfie on a tight leash now as he had three new doggy friends to annoy.

The guitarist was now singing along to his strumming and the atmosphere was superb. Outside a flurry of snow had started, making the setting feel even more festive. After chatting with one of the campers, we discovered that our paths had already crossed last year when we had been on the summit of Bein Ime, Alfie's first Munro. Stuart recalled having to hide his sandwiches from my ravenous pooch whom he described as that days pacemaker.

Come throwing out time, Shona and I joined Stuart and his friends at the fire they had got going by the camping ground. Tales of hiking and climbing were exchanged as we all huddled round the flames for heat. Later with fuel getting low and the snow falling steadily we all decided to call it a night and hit our sleeping bags.

We awoke in the morning to sleet and rain battering the tent, so quickly got everything sorted and packed away in order that we could speedily dismantle and transfer gear to the car without getting soaked through. 

The plan today was to head down through Glen Coe and south along the coastal route to Connel Bridge. Depending on the weather we might decide to head into Oban for lunch.

At the Bridge, the sleet was still falling quite hard and was beginning to turn to snow. We opted out of heading to Oban and started along the A85 to Dalmally. The weather steadily worsened and snow began to lie on the road. After Taynuilt and Lochawe things got really bad and the traffic ground to a hault. Cars were u-turning further up and it looked as though the road had been deemed impassable. Turning around we planned to take the turn off for Inverary, but at that junction police had closed the road here also. Now our only option was to head back north to Glen Coe which seemed crazy.

Back where we had begun the day, things were looking promising. The roads seemed better up here, but as we cleared the top of Glen Coe we were met with more heavy snow on Rannoch Moor. Again cars began to slow down to a creep and it appeared we might be thwarted once more. It looked like the road was being closed behind us as a few accidents ahead were again prompting travellers to make u-turns. We persevered and passed a lorry which had got stuck. Fingers were crossed that we would at least make it to Bridge of Orchy.

Slowly but surely we rolled along and finally made it to Tyndrum, where ironically the A85 had just been re-opened. Miserable from driving all day, we decided not to risk it by stopping to eat and headed for home while the weather was on our side.