Edinburgh Mountaineering Club

Meet Reports for January - April 2005

Meet Reports

This was the club's first trip to Strathconon, which had already been christened Corbett city by some, with a fair sprinkling of Grahams and the Strathfarrar Munros on offer as well. Everyone managed to find the hut, due to a well placed large yellow crane by Cormac's house, (and no we never did find out what he used it for). When I arrived it was to the news that the heating was not working although the room everyone was sitting in was boiling - proving that the generation of hot air from other sources was more than adequate.

As the next day dawned grey and cold with snow falling, numerous plans made the night before were modified rapidly. Rumour had it that the weather would improve later. So 'glass half full' Martin decided to go on a really long walk to make sure he was still out when the sun came out - whereas others though this completely irrational and opted for a shorter day.

Well as it turned out, Martin was right. I was in a group of four optimists who aimed for the Strafarrar Munros, setting out in the mist and rain. After a long walk in through some very empty country we trudged up the ridge with frequent navigation stops as the world around us vanished the further up we got. There was plenty of snow on the ridge but it was not that cold and the sun kept threatening to break through. At the third summit the clouds lifted and suddenly we could see and got fantastic views of the ridge. We could also see two little dots (Martin and Richard) who were rapidly catching us up after conquering a distant Graham …….and then adding on the Strathfarrar hills just for fun.

Elevenses at Loch na Caoidhe (AW)

Clag at summit of Sgurr Fhuir-thuill (AW)

Claire and Strathfarrar ridge (AW)

We got back to the hut to find the pessimists confirmed in their approach by walking in the clag all day. There is some moral to be drawn here. That evening also divided into two camps, the girls who decided to investigate the local ceilidh in the village hall, and the boys who were inevitably drawn into that mysterious 'match of the day' vortex even though the hut TV reception was a bit like the weather earlier in the day.

There were 6 of us in the ceilidh group - which was handy really - as that's exactly the right number for the Dashing White Sergeant - although not quite enough to Strip the Willow. We arrived clutching bottles of wine, but were plied with enough tea , cakes and sandwiches to feed an army, by an array of charming young ladies. The music was provided by Frankie, a lone accordionist and the scene resembled more of a local pub than a ceilidh; with the good citizens of Strathconon being clearly more interested in eating and drinking than in dancing. The whole event was watched closely by about 50 deer hung around the walls in the 1930's - each carefully labelled with who and when (but not why ). Subsequently I discovered this had to be taken with a pinch of salt because the last time they took them down for cleaning they got all the labels mixed up. Oh well.

The following day dawned considerably fairer but was forecast not to last. I went off down the road with Pat to investigate the local Corbetts, passing by the very posh Strathconan estate house owned by 'Mr Lego'. Like everyone else that day, who all tackled various other local routes, we were rewarded with fabulous views of Torridon and the Fannaichs. It was however very cold and windy in places and Pat and I missed out one top on our route as we were both unable to stand up. The threatened bad weather never really quite happened however and everyone had a pretty good day.

A distant Ben Wyvis from Creag Ruadh (AW)

By Monday it was definitely dreach. Just about everyone went straight home except for the lucky few who had a few days off to enjoy in the Highlands and Islands. In short, an enjoyable weekend in 'Legoland.'

Authors note: Things I was not allowed to mention in this Meet report include:

• A pair of blue men's knickers found decorating the bunkhouse floor
• The usefulness of paper underwear when trekking
• The likelihood of being picked up by a club member if you are hitch-hiking
• Cormac's etchings.

Meet report and photos by Alison W

As always, we'd been watching the forecast all week and with the promise of a good day on Friday, most people decided to ‘do something’ on the way North. However there was much disgruntlement at the campsite on Friday evening that the promised blue skies hadn’t materialised and depending on which hill you chose visibility varied between poor and non-existent. Friday evening however was warm with very little wind and no midges – we started off the weekend campaign of ‘staying outside as much as possible’. With the help of Alan’s lamp we sat outside chatting until well after dark before retiring to the pub for the rest of the evening. With an excellent forecast for Saturday plans were made for the next day.

The morning dawned bright and sunny but with a cold wind – Gillian left at 7am to ensure the best use of daylight and in fact the whole club had left the campsite by 8.30am – for us an Alpine start. The weather was as forecast but only in the extreme West – the East end of Liatach was in the clag for most of the day but the West end was in the sun. Unfortunately for Lesley, she chose one of the Corbetts behind the Ling hut and her hill remained shrouded all day. The others enjoyed a day of sunshine and excellent views - Fiona and Alison W were on Beinn Alligin, Gillian was on Baosbheinn and Beinn an Eoin and Richard & Anne climbed a Corbett and Graham alongside Loch Maree. Alison, Kenny and Alan climbed Liatach via the Northern pinnacles and found ice axes were essential for their day out – to help with grip on the steep grass! To round off an excellent day, we all headed off to a local restaurant for dinner.

Beinn Alligin (AW)

The Horns from Tom na Gruagaich (AW)

Baosbheinn from Beinn Alligin (FC)

Loch Maree from Beinn Airigh Charr (AC)

Unfortunately Sunday was a different story.... The cloud level remained stubbornly around 500m and was accompanied by a cold wind. It was a dry but fairly miserable day on all the hills. By 5pm however, the campsite was basking in sunshine so we piled on the warm jackets and sat outside until after 7pm – by which time we were almost blue with the cold. We had hoped for an invite to a ‘tent warming’ in Kenny & Alison’s new tent which has ample room to accommodate most of the club – unfortunately for us they weren’t feeling that generous so instead we retired to a local hotel which had comfy seats and a ringside view of the sunset. Humphrey returned after dark following a day of mixed success – his 14 mile run in the morning went well but left him with insufficient time for Slioch and he had to turn back before the summit.

Monday morning was beautiful again but with an even colder wind than the previous day. Most people headed off to do a small hill or a short cycle ride before the long drive home. Humphrey was staying up for another day and so was doing a 16 mile run to the Loch Maree Hotel and back before setting off for his hill – he was almost at the hotel when I passed on my way home!.

Finally, a new feature for Meet reports - ‘hill of the weekend’. The winner was definitely Beinn a’ Chearcaill alongside Loch Maree – over the course of the weekend it was climbed by seven of the ten folk present. The hill had a fantastic rock plateau on the summit and apparently has fantastic views of the Torridon hills – however only Richard, who climbed it on Monday, would have seen the view.

Meet report by Fiona C, photos by Alison W, Anne C and Fiona C

This was our second visit to Carrbridge bunkhouse, set in a peaceful cul-de-sac a short distance from the village centre. We knew about the 4 storey bunk beds with variable headroom, but we all managed to slot in nicely. The bunkhouse cat seemed to have certain preferred places to roost, which meant that one or two folk had a disturbed Friday night. Great effort was made on the Saturday night to foil our feline host, such as blocking up the cat flap, but it was unfazed by these puny defences and still managed to get in.

Anyway, as with our last visit here two years ago, the weather was almost too good to be true, with daytime temperatures soaring to summer highs and had the climbers wistfully gazing at rapidly diminishing snowfields, thin gully lines and black buttresses. However the end of the winter climbing season was more than compensated for by the classic inversion conditions experienced by parties on Creag Meagaidh (Alison W, Fraser, Victoria and Paul), the Fannichs (Alan, Anne and Martin), and Ben Wyvis (Kenny, Alison C and Fiona). Those visiting the Northern Corries via the Chalamain gap (Owen, Margaret, Albert and Judith) just had to be content with wall to wall sunshine. Hard to grizzly eh? Maverick Bill Brown went for the Hills of Cromdale, and encountered a large (50+) herd of reindeer (aka Robb's goats).

Mist on the summit of Ben Wyvis (FC)

Summit ridge of Ben Wyvis (FC)

Cloud Inversion (FC)

Ben Dearg group from Carn Gorm (FC)

Evening feeding time was a major logistical challenge but with a shift system in place, everyone eventually managed to get well fed and watered. Pub leader Alison W. was accompanied by Fraser, Victoria and Paul to investigate the local hotel, but the rest were either too knackered or replete to be bothered going out.

Kenny - one of the knackered! (AC)

Unusually there were bigger plans than normal for the Sunday, but with the promise of an equally inspiring day in prospect, it demanded more than a token hill. Fiona, with the first bare legs of the season was set on Braeriach, accompanied by Margaret. Alison C cycled in to Strath Nethy, quickly catching up Alan, Anne, Paul and Martin, who did the full circuit of the Strath, via Bynack More and Cairngorm. Alison left us on the slopes of Bynack More, and went off for the remote Corbett Creag Mhor. Kenny had followed on behind and seemed particularly pleased with himself to catch us on Cairngorm summit, so much so that he phoned Alison on his mobile, bawling out "I'M ON TOP OF CAIRNGORM!" This proved too much for the delightful little snow bunting that was dotting about nearby, who fled the scene.

Carrbridge bunkhouse (AC)

Choosing routes - Sunday morning (AC)

Margaret on Braeriach (FC)

Owen, Albert and Judith did the Corbett Meall a'Bhuachaille and got inverted too. Still my guitar gently weeps. Fraser, Alison W and Victoria had to do Schiehallion because it was on Fraser's tick list. Hope you carried a bag of hardcore each up the path for the JMT guys, to justify your short day? And what happened to Maverick? Just got plum crazy folks, headed out west with a road kill pheasant and rabbit, mebbe teamed up with that chain sawed bear from the big hoose, bottle of hooch. Too much sun I guess, gotta watch it in Scotland in March. No doubt he'll turn up one day. (Nor) wegies are survivors.

Meet report by Martin, photos by Alison C and Fiona C.

Well it finally happened - a cold front at the weekend with things the way we like them - no snow on the roads but plenty on the hills. Arriving at Inverardran cottage I was greeted warmly mainly because I had brought the supplies of coal and wood with me. However my fire building skills were put to shame by Albert who is now officially designated as the 'chief arsonist' and who managed to turn the sitting room into a sauna in no time. Unfortunately, we were one person down before we even started as Victoria discovered the meaning of 'non contact' in martial arts can still result in a broken rib. However, she is on the mend I am pleased to say.

The next morning, the climbers, Alan and Kenny, had left well before the rest of us had even surfaced and discovered to our delight the frost and clear blue skies. A bunch of people tackled various Munros close to Crianlarich. Fraser, Pat and I chose the loop around An Caisteal, Ben a'Chroin and Ben Chabhair and were rewarded with cracking views of Ben Oss, Ben Lui and Ben More. Apart from a few snow flurries we enjoyed sunshine all day. I have to say however, that I am now expecting a new TV program - Big Sheep Diary - after one member of the party was heard to enquire whether sheep had claws while peering at a footprint in the snow. Paul and Margaret also went up An Caisteal and Ben a' Chroin and the rest of their group discovered that crampons would have been a good idea and wisely chose to turn back.

Fraser and Pat on An Caisteal

Alison on Ben a'Chroin

Meanwhile, Martin went up a gully somewhere that totally escapes my memory but which he described as 'great'. Alan and Kenny returned in fine fettle having tackled a route called Golden Oldy involving 9 pitches. Last home (but by no means least) was Lesley having conquered another Corbett - I think it was Meall an Fhudair. Richard arrived bearing glad tidings of a Hibs win and a Scotland rugby team victory. Kenny was delighted to be presented with a rather fetching hat, found on the hill by Margaret, as it was too big for her and his own hat had been blown off his head at New Year. This prompted rather a lot of memories of other articles of clothing and equipment found and subsequently used by Kenny including rather bizarrely a pair of trousers found on a rock at Strawberry cottage.

Moving swiftly on…..the club repaired to the Rod and Reel in traditional manner and was regaled with another sort of Golden Oldies as musical entertainment complete with a somewhat alarming smoke machine and flashing lights. Working on the principle that nothing that happens after the 10 o'clock watershed should be repeated I will only add that some individual's idea of a small whisky makes me worried if ever presented with a large one and that the karaoke and dancing skills of others need some honing.

The following day Kenny, Alan and Martin dashed off to attempt another climb - this time at Stob Ghabhair where they emerged onto the summit after tackling steep ice. Fraser and I struggled up the steep slopes of Ben Vorlich in bright sunshine suffering from an overdose of the night before. Once again, there were great views from the summit which Fraser ignored in favour of a 'power nap' behind the cairn. It has to be said that this did the trick as he seemed a lot better on the way down. As usual, I have no idea what everyone else did on Sunday. All in all a great weekend!

Alison W

Fraser on the edge of reality... Ben Vorlich

Loch Lomond from Ben Vorlich

We awoke to a bright Saturday, somewhat brighter than the weather forecast. That, however, would change. After typical and magnificent indecision about the plans for the day - Cathy being our queen of "I'm not sure yet" - we headed out in dribs and drabs. EMC at an Idea sale? Now that would be an oxymoron. Bikes and feet went to Ben Macdui and/or Derry Cairngorm. Others had a gentler day on Beinn Bhreac. Keith and Nicola climbed "a Corbett to the east".

Kenny, Alison & Cathy on Derry Cairngorm

The author headed up Glen Ey to climb An Socath and Beinn lutharn Mhor via Mam nan Carn. Going up the shoulder of An Socath he caught a glimpse of a black and white small cat-sized creature - a feral cat, or perhaps a polecat? What it really looked like was a skunk, honest! Anyway it soon ran off when it smelled me. I suppose Audrey Baxter would have a recipe for it - "Cillen Skunk"?

It must be the vinho verde!

It started snowing on the walk after about an hour after those on the north side of the Dee got it. Dinner was preceded by a discussion on the merits of the Scottish Parliament and the rite to vote which Kenny condemned because other folk get to vote a different way. Ah democracy!

The weather on Sunday was the reverse of Saturday. Again we stuttered to a start with four of us going off to do the same hill - or so we thought. After being advised that Anne had changed her mind overnight, the author was pleased to join her, Alison W and Paul to go up Carn na Drochaide. After a flurry of snow on the top the weather improved throughout the day, with those to the south that is

• Kenny and Alison on Mount Blair
• Cathy, Fiona, Keith and Nicola on Ben Gulabin
• Alan and Anne on Creag nan Gabhar
• Lesley on Badendun Hill

Nicola, Keith & Cathy on Ben Gulbain

Craig Leacach (Glenshee)

Glenshee from the Spittal

Meet report by Richard, photos by Fiona C

Oh the joys of winter, clear cold mornings, snow on the hills, excellent visibility, the chance to dust off your crampons and ice axe and perhaps get some climbing done - that is if you`re in Canada. For us in Scotland this weekend, the story was somewhat different, low cloud, mild, wet snow, ice falling off Meggy and a fair amount of rain. Ten of us from the club were back at the Pottery near Laggan due to its excellent location but mainly because it has a hot tub. This weekend we were also sharing the bunkhouse with the BP Excel hillwalking club from Aberdeen who all seemed very friendly and who like us seemed to bring a lot of drink with them on weekends away, some of which we also drank.

The Saturday saw two distinct factions with an early departure group consisting of Alison, Tim, Paul, Victoria and Bill, Monadhliath bound for a day navigating in the cloud around the three munros, although time and darkness meant that they missed the third summit of Carn Dearg before descending and facing another wet river crossing. The rest of us, myself, Anne, Kenny, Alison & Hywel had a more leisurely start and with initial plans of traversing Creag Meagaidh quickly dispelled we headed for The Fara, via the Dirc Mhor, a rocky ravine to the North of the hill. It was at this point very wet. The cloud lifted a little on the way off the summit and gave some good views. On the way back we had a river crossing which myself, Anne & Alison simply waded across, Kenny & Hywel however thought it was better to cross barefoot. Hywel threw his boots across the river like a discus thrower and they landed safely on the other bank, Kenny clearly having watched Steve Backley too often went for the javelin approach, which meant a lot of height but not much distance and splash into the river they went, incredibly they landed on the sole side up and luckily did not float off at a great rate of knots. After a cold wade across the river and some resuscitation to their feet we moved on and we were back at the cars by 2.30, a really hard day then! By the time the other group returned we had partaken of a coffee at Wolftrax, visited the hypermarket in Laggan, had a shower, been in the hot tub and started cooking our tea. We all headed for the pub later on that night and returned for the usual cheese, biscuits and port. The night thereafter went on to the wee hours, well 3am in some cases, don't come on club meets if you want a good nights sleep and there`s a hot tub nearby!

The next morning promised to be slightly better, although yet again the traverse of Meggy was put to one side. Bill and Tim went off to Meall Chuaich while Hywel escaped to sort out a gas "incident" back in Edinburgh. Kenny, Alison, Anne & myself had another exhausting day with a traverse of Creag Dubh, a prominent wee Graham above Newtonmore which took us some 3 hours during which the weather improved all the time. In total over the weekend we had walked about 7.5 hours, very tough indeed.

Alan R

The weather on Hogmanay this year was uneventful and so all the club members arrived safely at Invergarry in plenty of time to see in the New Year. We munched continually throughout the evening as no sooner was one offering demolished than another appeared – crisps, nuts, Pringles, Christmas cake, chocolates, Dilly’s home-made brownies etc. etc.

We awoke on New Year’s day to find ‘heavy and prolonged’ rain was the only weather on offer. The club therefore split into two roughly equal sized groups – one of mountaineers and one of sensible people. The mountaineers (Hywel, Kenny, Bill C, Bill B, Christopher, Alison W, Anne C, Keith) chose mainly Corbetts & Graham’s (the shortest ones available) - most made it to the top although all returned soaked from a mixture of rain and blizzards. The sensible people drank tea, red books and did jigsaws with the ‘Most difficult jigsaw in the world’ being conquered before lunch. A brief let up in the rain in the afternoon allowed everyone to get out for a little while. Unusually Richard joined the sensible people - 'What's the point in going out when you're going to get soaked and not see anything'. It's never bothered him before....

Dinner on New Year’s day was the usual mammoth affair with all contributing to either the preparation, cooking or washing up. The after dinner quiz was provided by Richard with the ‘girls team’ winning (we cheated but the boys didn’t notice!) the bottle of bubbly. The boys team won a ‘special’ bottle of English wine which had obviously been around a while - the label had a competition to win a flight on Concorde (closing date June 1998).

We woke on the 2nd to snow showers and strong winds. Bill x 2 and Christopher drove up to Morvich and climbed Sgurr an Airgid whilst Gillian and Anne R, Alan R, Hywel and Cathy all managed Corbetts at Loch Arkaig. Richard climbed a Graham near Kinlochourn and Kenny, Alison x 2 and Fiona climbed Sron a Choire Ghairbh from Loch Lochy. Everyone had similar weather with some views on top but extremely strong winds, snow showers and driving snow in the face. Dennis, Jenny, Tim and Julie did low level walks and others went home…..

Dinner on Sunday was another epic with enough mulled wine, soup, main course and pud to provide a second dinner for everyone. We also had a huge cheese board with 15 different cheeses to sample. After dinner entertainment was Top Gun with Bill B bemoaning ‘crap American films’ and Bill C exhorting Kelly McGillis to remove certain items of her clothing.

The weather on Monday morning was dry but otherwise didn’t look particularly promising. Alan, Anne R and Hywel were staying on and so headed off to Glen Shiel to climb a Corbett. Bill x 2, Christopher and Gillian had plans in Glen Roy. Alison W was heading for the Fara at Dalwhinnie whilst Kenny and Alison were going to climb ‘something’. Others headed straight home with heavy rain, strong winds and the complete lack of cars at the Creag Meagaidh car park confirming to Cathy and myself that going straight home was indeed a wise choice.

Fiona C