Edinburgh Mountaineering Club

Meet Reports for 2006

Meet Reports

The New year celebrations may have been cancelled in Edinburgh but the EMC and the FBI in Ullapool were made of sterner stuff. This was our first visit to Scotpackers hostel and on Friday evening we relaxed in the toasty sitting room checking out the MWIS forecast - 120mph winds, chances of cloud free munros 10%, wind chill severe, going to extreme on Hogmanay.

Funnily enough the next day looked sort of OK, at least relative to the prediction. Even more bizarrely, although it was hellish windy on Cul Mor in the vicinity of the corries, once we got to the summit we experienced a mysterious calm and some good views. Good enough to hang about for half an hour watching a load of brockenspectres. The other hills done that day were Braebag and Ben More Coigach.

Alison impersonating the Michelin man on Cul Mor (AC)

On Hogmanay a big front was crossing the country. Resident meteorologist Alison M was confidently predicting that the front was slow moving and that far north was best (Shetland anyone?). She duly left with the other Anne at the crack of dawn for Quinag. The rest of us were not quite as dedicated. The boys all went for separate trips, leaving us girlies to face the access problems at Braemore junction on our own. A bit tough as it required us to creep quietly past the gatehouse without saying a word. We lost our nerve further down at the lodge and deviated through the back of the forest. The “slow moving” front seemed to have come in just as we reached the summit of our Corbett, prompting a split in the group with Fiona very generously noting that as Sara wasn’t wanting to go on to the neighbouring Graham she would be willing to “accompany” her down.

The group we were sharing with let us partake in their pre dinner Pims and Gin and tonics – nice to have some sophistication in the EMC- before we got down to the task of making dinner to Air guitar II and then heading off to the FBI (Ferry Boat Inn) for the Bells. Alison W had managed to drink them out of An Teallach draught and bottled and was presented with a free T-shirt for her efforts.

Now usually the EMC is nicely tucked up in bed just after midnight on Ne-er day (or in Pa Broon’s case several hours before the Bells) but things were getting a bit more lively with party games starting next door. Chubby Bunnies was first on offer. This was followed by various people demonstrating alarming degrees of flexibility (or in my case not) by attempting to pick up small bits of cardboard from the floor using their teeth but without touching the floor with anything but their feet. The other group turned out to be particularly bendy and only one person was able to compete for the EMC side in the latter stages. Alison W finally restored the EMC pride by winning the woman’s leg wrestling competition.

No sign of the other group in the morning. Gillian, Fiona, Sara and myself enjoyed rather a wild day on Beinn an Eoin with hail, wind, rain, thunder and lightening but some good views in between the squalls. Kenny, Richard and Alan were heading home and opted for Beinn Dearg with some apparently awful breakable crust snow conditions which gave Alan the opportunity to demonstrate his awesome trailing breaking ability.

Gillian and Stac Pollaidh (AC)

Girls day out on Beinn an Eoin (AC)

Suilven, Cul Mor and Cul Beg from Beinn an Eoin (FC)

All in all, a really good New year with a great relaxed atmosphere.

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

There was a good turn out of 10 members and a welcome influx of 3 new members for the penultimate EMC meet of 2006. Most of us gathered in the Kingshouse hotel before proceeding to the car park and short walk in to Lagangarbh, situated directly beneath the iconic Munro of Buachaille Etive Mor. This very well appointed SMC hut soon warmed up, and in the absence of SMC members we were able to spread ourselves throughout the alpine style sleeping areas. The mountain forecast was quite explicit, a reasonably good day of sunshine and snow showers for Saturday, and unambiguously atrocious for Sunday. Thus ambitions for the weekend were all for the former.

Pre bedtime diversions included Alison's secret Santa present- a bottle of red wine in bondage gear and the challenge to release it without resort to mindless violence. Male incompetents struggled ineffectually before Anne M asserted her superior cognitive abilities. As a skilled yachtswoman she soon had this knotty problem solved and the bottle popped out of its restraints. Being already 'there' as it were, a relaxed late evening of gentle imbibing and plans for the 'morrow were discussed before retiral.

The obvious local choice on Saturday was for the 'Great Herdsman of Etive' and two parties emerged. Alan, Anne M, Kenny and Alison C opted for the traverse of the big Buachaille Munros from Glen Etive, whilst new members Tanya, Ewan and friend Carolina looked after wild Bill C. Their day involved going for the outlier Stob na Broige from Lagangarbh first, then returning over the higher top of Stob Dearg. The standard gully descent from the Buachaille was made interesting due to the snow conditions and Tanya, a rookie on snow was on a 'high' requiring little advice on use of her ice axe due to her natural abilities.

Kenny on the Buachaille

Alan and Anne Buachaille

Richard and Anne C decided on an assault on Ben Starav at the foot of Glen Etive, while myself and Alison W went for the full ridge traverse of Sgor na h-Ulaidh. Our ascent line through semi-liquid grass and scree slopes was arduous, but on the ridge itself the conditions changed dramatically. There was good snow above 700m with an icy base, and for comfort and safety we donned crampons for the final steep summit slopes. Good views prevailed for most of the day, and the proximal vista to Bidean and outliers was superb. President Owen took the opportunity to explore the tops surrounding the nearby 'Devil's staircase' pass which leads to Kinlochleven.

All of us made full use of the daylight hours, and it was a happy and relaxed group that settled down for the evening in the hut, and ambitions to transfer to the Kingshouse hotel bar were quietly shelved. This presented a certain problem as Tanya had mistakenly assumed that the evening meal would be communal. However, food on EMC club meets is always in excess and she was able to sample a variety of offerings. Special mention should however go to Ewan, who Jamie Oliver style produced a beautifully presented squash and pancetta risotto with venison sausages for himself and Carolina, perfectly complemented by a precocious little Chateau neuf du pape.

At about 8.00pm President Owen mysteriously announced that he was leaving, mumbling something about it was 4 hours to a 'locked maiden' or was it Lochmaben? The sky was clearing with moon and stars appearing, and this lycantrope disappeared into the winter night. Zzzzzz's arrived early and even duracel bunny Alison W was tucked up in bed before midnight but not before her usual late night cheese feast. We're all addicted to amino acid dreams now! As forecast, the wind and rain developed throughout the night and it was torrential horizontal rain lashing the glen in the morning. After the usual clean up we made a dash for the cars and the journey home. No one was tempted out and the apposite comment from Alison W is worth repeating here. She said it was a Jane Eyre day. Confused? Apparently the first line of this Bronte classic is 'there was no possibility of a walk that day.'

Meet report by Martin, photos by Alison C

Winter arrived for the dinner meet providing some hairy driving conditions on the Friday night. The last person in the bar was Sara, delayed after a collision with a deer at Glen Coe. The caring side of the EMC came through – is the deer all right? Is your car all right? Are you all right?

The mixture of hotel and bunkhouse accommodation had made the sleeping arrangement permutations a bit more complicated. We had a couple of folk dropping out on the Friday so the game of musical beds continued and in the bar I rearranged things AGAIN. This meant Richard and Anne C swapping beds from hotel to bunkhouse on a theoretical basis for the fifth time and great confusion for the hotel owner as Anne had already checked in. At least it meant that Richard could get a hairdryer. Most confused was Owen who thought he was arriving to share a twin room in the hotel with Richard but ended up in a twin in the bunkhouse, first with Anne and then, later that evening, moving to share with pensioner Broon who insisted on staying put.

On Saturday the hills were looking picture postcard perfect, plastered in snow with blue sky. With hindsight we might have got on better using mass attack tactics instead of dividing up into teams of 2/3 as we all struggled to make progress in deep unconsolidated snow. Even Duracell bunny men Fraser and Richard didn’t fully complete their respective double munro objectives. Margaret, Gillian and Sara were helped by the timely appearance of a member of the mountain rescue team who helpfully broke trail for most of the way up their corbett. There is no truth in the rumour that they were deliberately lagging behind to make sure they didn’t catch him up. After 3 hours and probably another 1.5 to go to the summit, Kenny and I gave up on Sgurr Dhomhnuill which was to be my 201st corbett. Eileen was also eyeing up two new corbetts but she and Bill gave up after the first one. Eileen was later informed by Kenny that she had already done both corbetts with him a mere 25 years previously.

The elusive Sgurr Dhomhnuill

In the evening we were joined by Alison W straight from Edinburgh Airport. In rushing to grab her bag at the airport Alison assumed that she would be the only passenger arriving in Edinburgh from Addis Abbaba with an Exodus holdall. Suffice to say that her “fellow” exodus passenger from Livingston was none too pleased to discover that his holdall was now at the Corran bunkhouse.

Dinner was enlivened by Jenny getting a complimentary bottle of red wine to compensate for the red wine that was knocked over her. Some folk will do anything for free drink. It was also enlivened by the appearance of a ghostly shell suited figure with cigar. Fortunately Sir Jimmy stayed in the public bar.

Sunday was looking fairly wild and most people had had enough of the snow conditions and just headed home. Alison W had to get back early for a date with Mr Angry from Livingston. Sara needed to get back for a new wing for her car. Kenny, Alan and I did the Pap of Glen Coe. Nice views but hard work. Back at the cars we bumped into Hamish MacInness out for a wee leg stretch and Anne R bumped into Sir Jimmy at the tea shop in Ballachullish.

Kenny on the Pap

Meet report and photos by Alison C

Friday night was a return to the familiar routine of driving North in the dark. We found the hut okay and relaxed over a few beers. By 10.30pm we were still waiting on Fraser to arrive - after checking the mobiles we discussed how it wasn't like Fraser to bail without letting us know. Actually, Fraser had forgotten to print off the instructions on how to find the hut and so spent an hour driving up & down Glen Feshie. He finally arrived at 10.45pm.

Saturday morning was extremely wet - Alison W, Fraser, Matt & Iain set off in the rain to do the Feshie ridge. The rest of us had more tea whilst we waited on the weather improving. Finally it cleared up so Kenny & Martin also headed off the Feshie ridge whilst Gillian, Alison C & myself went to climb Meall a Bhuichaille at Glenmore Lodge. About an hour into the walk the views disappeared and it started to chuck it down again. As we descended to the first col Alison C was planning an alternative itinerary (craft shop, tea shop, gear shop!). It brightened up however so we continued along the ridge with the cloud coming and going around us. The Feshie ridge mob faired less well with more rain & more cloud and fewer views.

Alison with a red nose!

The early evening entertainment was provided by Martin & Kenny as they attempted to light the wood-burning stove. They spent ages faffing and arguing over the best way to get the fire going - 'just give it another ten minutes and it will be fine'. The fire finally burst into life after yours truly flung half a bucket of coal on top of it. Albert, your expertise is much missed...

After dinner on Saturday we went down to the bar at Loch Insch only to find that they had shut (it was 9pm!). We persuaded them to serve us one round but that was it so we came back to the hut for more beer and the usual Wells cheese-board.

Sunday was bright and dry so we gave up the extra hour in bed in favour of an extra hour on the hill (definitely not my idea!). Alison & Kenny were heading to Braeriach & Fraser to Meall Chuiach. The rest of us had a lovely walk along the Fara ridge with fantastic views along Loch Ericht and a sunbathing stop on the last top.

Fraser on Meall Chuiach

Meet report by Fiona, photos by Fraser

Those attending were Ann and Alan Renville, Bill and Eileen, Kenny and Alison, Bill Brown, Matthew Browne(newish member), Jo Ryan(new member).

The company accumulated in dribs and drabs with Kenny and Alison last having gone up and down the motorway a few times and then tried the road to Cockermouth. By the time they arrived the author had done the usual and gone to bed.

Saturday was cool and windy. Ann and Alan met up with friends from Newcastle and went to Hwelvellyn so the kids could have some fun on Striding Edge. The rest aimed for Stye Head via various routes. Kenny and Alison went direct and thence on to Scafell and Greaty End, the rest, owing to a navigational glitch ended up at Esk Hause and a fine view of the Langdales. Bill C went back to meet Eileen and on to Stye Head. The remaining three, Matthew, Jo and the Author continued up to somewhere and finding themselves lost also returned and went to Stye Head. Finally the original targets of Great and Green Gables were climbed, Eileen and Bill being passed on the way. The final retreat via Gillercomb had a sting in the tail with an interesting descent for Jo who had never set hand or foot on rock before. In the evening Matthew's plea for the pub got no takers and the evening was spent on chat and the comfort of a good coal fire.

Sunday produced similar weather and a group assault on Blencathra was abandonned. Ann and Alan went somewhere beginning with a G (I think), Kenny and Alison went home and Author, Bill and Eileen, Jo and Matthew headed for Derwent Fells. Matt peeled off early to visit his granny and the rest did Dale Head and Hindscarth at paces suitable to each, and so home. An enjoyable meet in an improved hut.

Bill B

Only 4 members attended this superb bunkhouse location for the Edinburgh September holiday weekend. The sunny late summer weather prevailed, which meant that midges were still about. On Saturday, Richard and myself had an excellent 10 hour day going in from Corriehallie for A'Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor via Shenevall bothy. We decided on an approach due south after the river crossings bounding the Strath na Sealga, tracing the Abhainn na Gleann Muice towards Beinn Tarsuinn, with a delightful ascent beside tumbling burns and into wild hanging corries until the summit slopes were reached. Unusually, a couple of curious hinds standing on a rocky outcrop watched us pass by without running off. The views from the summit of A'Mhaighdean were of course spectacular and ample compensation for the 5 hours it took to reach the cairn. Meanwhile dedicated Graham baggers Bill B and Eleanor both had rewarding days, with bicycle Bill reaching the remote Fisherfield tops of Meall Mheinnidh and Beinn a'Chaisgain Bheag, and Eleanor enjoying the climb to Beinn an Eoin in Coigach.

On Sunday a weak front had come in, so the An Teallach traverse was a bit disappointing for Richard and me. Bill spoke of the frustrations of Graham bagging as he cycled and walked in along Loch a Bhraoin for distant Groban and Beinn Bheag. Apparently it was clear all the way on approach, then the clag descended for the ascents. Eleanor wisely chose nearby Corbett Sail Mhor before spending the afternoon at Inverewe Gardens. A bar meal in the nearby Dundonnell hotel rounded the day off well.

On Monday the weather had changed back to summer and I enjoyed a gentle running jaunt over Am Faochagach, with clear visibility to the peaks of the far north and the magnificent nearby Beinn Dearg Munros.

Martin

This was the first time the club had been at Lazy Duck but quite a few of us had visited on previous occasions although it was a very strange experience being here in the height of summer rather than deep winter. This meant we could sit outside on Friday evening and enjoy the late evening sun drinking wine and beer and eating the usual snacks until the midges started to make a nuisance of themselves. In the usual club tradition we managed to arrive in a total of 7 cars, for 8 people! The Clubs carbon footprint must be a size 11.

Some of the locals (FC)

The 8 split into various parties on the sat morning with Alison, Bill, Anne and Fiona using two cars to link up a traverse of Cairngorm and Beinn Mheadhoin. Owen crossed the plateau to Macdui while myself, Kenny and Alison headed into the northern corries, initially to attempt Fingers Ridge but due to likely congestion we opted for the much quieter Pygmy Ridge. We then dropped down to Loch Avon and wandered aimlessly around for an hour trying to locate a crag for our second climb of the day, reading guidebook descriptions is clearly not our forte. We eventually decided we had reached the right spot after much deliberation although the "prominent boulder" that according to Mr Guidebook marked the start of the climb was nothing more than a tennis ball sized rock, Kenny was not convinced. We set off up what we hoped was Pippet Slab and by the 2nd pitch we had decided that we were indeed on the right route. It was a good route, lots of friction required, and had some quite exciting moments for a novice like me. The rest all reported good days once we reconvened back at the hostel, the odd shower aside the weather had been very settled.

Alison leading the 1st pitch (AR)

Kenny on Pygmy Ridge (AR)

Reindeer on Cairngorm (FC)

Alison and Anne at Loch Avon (FC)

Beinn Mheadoin from Cairngorm (FC)

A very pleasant Saturday evening was had with the usual wine and beer, an early departure to bed for Pa Broon, a wee dram or two and of course the obligatory Wells cheeseboard.

Pre-dinner drinks at the Lazy Duck (FC)

People set off to do lots of different things on the Sunday, the main group heading to the Corbett near Dorback Lodge, with the very unusual name of Geal Charn. Kenny & Alison headed of to the most easterly Corbett above the Lecht and I headed off on the bike over the Burma Road, west of Aviemore taking in another Corbett, Geal Charn Mor. About half way round the route the bolt attaching the saddle to the seatpost sheared off, resulting in a very uncomfortable pedal back to the car, always trying to remember that I had no saddle to sit on, to forget this was very painful!

Lazy Duck proved to be a very good summer choice of hostel and would think the club will be repeating the visit.

Emails flew back and forth and eventually we had a plan for Friday evening which relied somewhat on the 'you can't miss it' aspect of Bill & Eileen's car. The plan was thrown into some confusion when it transpired that the tank had been scrapped and they have a new car. No-one fell off the wire bridge although a few people chickened out and paddled instead. The consensus opinion was that the wires on the bridge have slackened so anyone small will find it difficult to cross. After reaching the hut the inevitable technical gremlins started - the instructions for the generator implied that it took a few 'pulls' to get going. After about an hour and having tried every possible combination of levers & switches we finally realised that the gas bottle was empty….. Meanwhile the 'water team' had no better luck 'cause the stream had dried up.

Eileen on the wire bridge (AW)

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a brisk wind to keep us cool on the hills. Kenny, Alison & Anne C drove round to the Ben and did Tower ridge whilst Bill, Eileen, Gillian, Alison W & myself walked from the hut and did An Garbhanach, Na Gruagaichean and Binnein Mor. We got to the top of Binnein Mor at 2.15pm so the obvious continuation was onto Binnein Beag. Even on a nice day it's uninspiring so instead we sloped off downhill to paddle in the river. Blissful. Meanwhile the Ben party had sneaked into Fort William for tea using the excuse that their tea was in the freezer in Edinburgh! Keith & Nicola joined us for Saturday night having walked in over Na Gruagaichean.

Alison on Tower Ridge (AC)

Kenny & Anne on Tower Ridge (AC)

Bill, Eileen and Fiona with the Beinn behind (AW)

Sunday didn't look quite so promising although the cloud was fairly high. Our first task though was to get out of the glen without getting eaten alive. Keith & Nicola set off walking back over Binnein Beag to their car in Kinlochleven whilst Kenny & Alison were, we thought, climbing in Glencoe - no, they were at the end of Glen Nevis waiting for the AA man to turn up. Bill & Eileen headed into Fort William to stock up on supplies for their backpacking trip whilst Gillian was going to Killin to spend the week Corbett bagging. Alison, Anne & I set off in fairly grey weather to do Beinn n Caillich and Mam na Gualainn from Kinlochleven. Half way along the ridge the cloud moved eastward and we finished the day in warm sunshine with brilliant views.

Aahhh midges! (AC)

Alison and Anne on Mam na Gualainn (FC)

Loch Leven (AW)

Part 1 by Fiona, photos by the Alisons & Fiona

Part 2 by Bill & Eileen

On Sunday we drove to Strathan on Lock Arkaig, walked up Glen Dessary and camped for 2 nights near top of the Glen. Midgophobia resulted in the third night spent at a'Chuil MBA bothy. On Sunday (evening) Monday and Tuesday respectively, we climbed corbetts Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laoigh (phew for the name and the climb), Sgurr na h'Aide, and Carn Mor.

A memorable introduction: Walking east on the forestry track 1 mile from a'Chuil, not so far from the rough bounds of Knoydart, we met a not-so-young cyclist, travelling west on a well loaded tourer. He greeted us "Ah, glad to meet you. I've come from Land's end, heading for Fort Augustus today. Am I on the Great Glen cycle route?". WELL!! He was a disappointed man when we showed him the location on his road map.

We had a week of beautiful weather leading up to the meet so it was no surprise to find that the warm spell was due to break just before the weekend. We turned up on Friday night to find that the cheap site at Inverroy recommended by Kenny was actually rather nice as well. We sat around chatting until well after 11pm when the cold finally got too much. Overnight it got much colder and in the morning several people were muttering about down sleeping bags not being warm enough. My summer-weight bag was far short of warm and I can report that at 4.30am all the tents were frozen solid.

We woke to blue skies, sunshine and a fantastic view of the grey corries. With a good day in prospect we were away from the campsite by 8.30 - Kenny & Alison went to do Gulvain and a Corbett whilst Tim D, Anne C, Gillian, Margaret and I tackled the grey corries. We summited Stob Ban and got fantastic views of all the hills to the South & West (including the Paps of Jura, much to Anne's disgust). As we climbed up to Stob Choire Claurigh we stopped to chat to some people - one of them stared fixedly at Margaret before asking if she was Margaret from York. He turned out to be a former colleague from 15 years ago and apparently Margaret 'hasn't changed a bit'. We were unsure if this was good or bad! Meanwhile, Anne and Tim were someway ahead on the main ridge. Anne left her map behind on Claurigh but rather than go back for it she trusted that the guy behind would bring it along for her - he did. At the end of the main ridge, I stayed behind to sunbathe and admire the views whilst Gillian and Margaret went on to Sgurr Choinnich Beag. Meanwhile, rather than climb back up Easain after Sgurr Choinnich, Anne & Tim decided to contour round and drop down into the glen - definitely not recommended. After a quick shower we headed off to the pub - Margaret & Gillian either felt their 11 hour day on the hill wasn't enough exercise or they were desperate for a pint 'cause they walked the mile to the pub.

Saturday night was a lot warmer and we woke to good views again. After a leisurely breakfast in the sun we debated which hills we would attempt that day with many being discounted as not being attractive enough for such a nice day. Nearby corbetts & munros were finally settled on and the weather stayed fair to give us another good day.

Fiona

Five went to Jura with 2 cars and 2 bikes. The complexities of travel to Jura required one day out of three to be allocated for the ascent of the paps. For the early car arrivals (Anne, Alison and Liz) this was Saturday with Liz operating one handed after severing an artery in her hand in a fight with a butternut squash. Unfortunately, whilst everywhere else seemed to be bright and sunny, including the rest of Jura, a large bank of cloud sat over the Paps all day and refused to move - so no views on the tops.

Bank of cloud on the Paps

Camping in front of the hotel

The Jura hotel provided fine entertainment as a reward for the long hard day. Since the smoking ban came in we all seem to be staying rather longer in the pub and an excess alcohol headache has replaced the headache from a smoky pub. After one round of 21 year old Jura malt and a request for the same again, Kenny was given firm instructions not to come back with a Bells or Grouse for Jura (they know him too well) but he was still caught out trying to pass off an unidentified Jura malt for the vintage of the previous round.

Sunday saw our attempt on the paps and the day didn’t look too promising with an even bigger bank of cloud covering the paps. The first was duly completed in the standard pap thick mist but suddenly things began to look a little brighter and we finally got a clearance for the last two followed by the mist closing in again.

Alison on the Paps

In true EMC island tradition, the best view of the hills was reserved for the return ferry on Monday.

Alison C

In theory, this was meant to be a spring meet, but as the snow bucketed down enthusiastically on Friday night, topping up an already impressive white landscape we soon realised that in fact it was full on winter conditions in Glen Affric. We all met up in the Slaters Arms which had adjusted to the non smoking rules by putting a tarpaulin outside the back for the shivering die hard smokers. The landlady offered to let us sleep on her floor when she realised where we were going, but no, the EMC was made of sterner stuff. We stuffed all our gear into Anne or Bill's car and some lucky people (me included) got a lift rather than walking for 5 miles in the snow. The early arrivals at the cottage had the fun of hauling the bags up the hill over a slippery bridge and getting the kettles and fire going for the rest of the gang. I think it was about 2 in the morning before we went to bed as the walkers all needed a hot and/or stiff drink to recover from their experience and it would have been churlish of us not to have joined in. After huddling in sleeping bags quite a few people got back up again to put more clothes on, but nobody could beat Gillian who owned up to 3 layers top to bottom including socks and ear muffs. Not surprisingly it took her quite a while to get out in the morning.

The group divided into two with some attempting Munros on the north side of the glen and the rest preferring the Corbetts to the south owing to the not very friendly weather forecast. I was in the Corbett team with Anne, Gillian and Fiona and as we set off up the glen we spotted an eagle checking us out for potential breakfast material. It was a beautiful morning and the views in all directions were stunning. Nonetheless the snow was deep and it took an unexpectedly long time to reach our first summit, Carn a' Choire Ghairbh. At one point we perfected the art of crawling through a cornice and trail breaking was hard work for the designated snow ploughs (me and Anne). We were rewarded with more fabulous views, except to the north where we rightly suspected the other group were in a white out. We finally got as far as the bealach before Aonach Shasuinn at about 3 in the afternoon. Three of us went on up the second Corbett, while Fiona, very sensibly decided the prospect of a warm hut was calling her and headed off on the long walk back. However, once again we got great views from the top and slithered back down the hill to a walk out involving falling down holes, into streams and disappearing into snow drifts. The snow started falling again and on getting to the track beside Loch Affric gave way to persistent rain. Oh joy.

Glen Affric to the west (AW)

The view east from Carn a Choire Ghairbh (AW)

Arriving back at the hut at 8pm, we were greeted by some very hungry people wondering whether to start eating without us. The slog up Sgurr nan Ceathreambrain (a.k.a Chrysanthemum) had been equally hard work and there was a complete white out on the ridge causing Alan and Anne to turn back early when Anne started to feel seasick. Martin and Tim doggedly carried on to An Socath in rather scary conditions. Eileen and Bill made it up to about 1000 metres on Mam Sodhail and then turned back for the same reason. Luckily, everyone had worked up a good appetite as we had huge amounts of soup, curry and cheese to work our way through before we could go to bed.

The following day was equally epic. Alan romped up the side of Sgurr na Lapaich in the sunshine to be greeted by another white out on the ridge where Tim and Martin following his tracks met up with him in a blizzard. Meanwhile Fiona, Gillian, Anne and I had decided not to play that game and went up the corrie path to Mam Sodhail. However the snowploughs ran out of steam at about 700 metres and later we heard that there was absolutely no way we would have made it out of the corrie without skis. On the way back down again, seduced by a sudden change in the weather for the better, Gillian, Anne and I decided to try Sgurr na Lapaich after all from higher up the path. This attempt also ended in failure after a tough slog up a steep snow slope that proved impossible without 2 axes as we got closer to the ridge. Suffice it to say that the resultant down-climb was a bit more exciting than we had planned.

The snow filled path up Coire Leachavie (AW)

The view from Strawberry Cottage door (AW)

Back in the valley we met Bill and Eileen who had strolled around the loch to check out Affric Lodge and we all went back to the cottage to sit outside in the sun and drink huge quantities of tea. The eagle re-appeared briefly. Anne and Alan had to walk out that day and Tim and Martin returned reporting difficulties in finding the cairn on Mam Sodhail in a white out (the cairn is about the size of a house) followed by a fantastic walk down in the sunshine. The evening was spent stuffing ourselves again followed by a team game of trivial pursuit which was fought tooth and nail. I'd like to say that the best team won but as I was not on it I won't. I leave you to guess who was cheating!On Monday there was a mass assault of 6 of us up the smallest Graham imaginable. The towering slopes of Beinn a Mheadhoin (613m) provided a great viewpoint and good lunch spot before we all set off back to civilisation.

Summit of Beinn a Mheadhoin (AW)

Meet report and photos by Alison W

Despite one or two close encounters with the hundreds of deer that were grazing at the roadside, everyone arrived in time for a few sherberts on Friday night. With large amounts of snow around, a good day seemed in prospect for Saturday.

It was an early start for most with Kenny & Alison the first away by 7.30am and almost everyone out by 8.30am. Alison W and Fraser did their usual big day out (An Socach plus 3 Munroes above the Cairnwell), Kenny & Alison had a ten hour day climbing over at the Dubh Loch near Lochnagar. Martin was also over at the Dubh Loch but did a different climb (I think!). Dennis & Jenny attempted a circuit of Glen Quoich which descended into very wet snow and bog but offered excellent wild life opportunities - eagles were spotted as well as a flock of capercaillie. Myself, Richard H, Tim D, Clare & Sara climbed Derry Cairngorm whilst Gillian had an interesting day negotiating poma tows on a snowboard. All had an excellent day out with plenty of snow decent views, some sunshine and some clag.

Tim, Sara and Clare on Derry Cairngorm

There were a lot of very tired bodies on Saturday night and so it was a quiet affair with a number of early retirements.

Sunday was more of the same weather wise with most people doing a shorter day. Kenny, Alison & Martin did the demoted Corbett Sgur Mor, myself, Richard, Alison W, Gillian, Clare & Sara did the Corbett Creag nan Gabhar. Tim D climbed Glas Tulaichean with the help of a pair of snow shoes.

This was an eagerly anticipated weekend to one of the remotest parts of Scotland, easily accessible due to the presence of the West Highland rail line, which runs from Glasgow to Fort William. Most of the 14 club members met at Crianlarich on Friday night for the hour long train journey to Corrour station. The party atmosphere of the train journey, with the well stocked drinks trolley wheeled up and down was left with reluctance for the desolation of Corrour's dark 1500' high station. Nevertheless, a mere mile walk by head torch on a bright but dry cold night saw us safely to the welcoming, wind turbine powered lights of the hostel, with Nick, the resident warden of this SYHA Establishment having the roaring coal and wood fire stove going well. I couldn't help thinking about the cult film 'American werewolf in London' on approaching the lights of the hostel, but Nick's friendly terrier dog was only keen on snapping up spare food rather than unsuspecting EMC member's jugulars!

Nick gave us a 2-minute briefing as to the do's and don'ts of our stay, which emphasised the necessity of removing ALL waste, including bleached tea bags from Corrour Estate. Only compostible vegetable matter and/or non-bleached tea bags were allowed to be recycled in the compost bin. It was a novel and I suspect enlightening experience for most members to be held personally accountable for all their own waste products! Talking of which, the 'lang drap' out-housed compostible toilets with their own internal lighting and alcohol based hand wash provision, were surprisingly acceptable to us townies. Although there were no showers, the constant hot water for washing and kitchen use was an unexpected luxury.

With cold polar air from the north and north east prevailing for the weekend, the forecast was basically set fair, and with the white stuff established above 2000' this was the first real winter weekend for the club in 2006. Saturday was a bit disappointing however, being one of those 'bright too soon' days, with hill tops disappearing into cloud and freshening winds, giving rise to the experience of considerable buffeting, a current buzz phrase of mountain forecasters, and poor visibility near the tops. On Sunday the summits were clear but there was even more buffeting. Nevertheless, the club stalwarts ascended all the local Munros and Corbetts, with remoter objectives of Chno Dearg via the winter climbing crag of Meall Garbh and the Easains above Loch Treig also achieved. Leum Uilleum in particular, the Corbett above Corrour station gave a delightful horseshoe walk.

The view from the hostel door (AW)

Martin, ready to go (AW)

Kenny and Martin (AC)

View of ??? (AC)

A very cold and windy Beinn na Lap (AW)

Martin on the snowy top of Leum Uilleum (AW)

The view from Leum Uilleum (AW)

Saturday evening activities were as per usual liberally lubricated with anaesthetics of choice, and a fiercely competitive game of Jenga developed. Jenga? Well it looked from a red wine perspective like a psychological game of building blocks to a height and then skill to avoid collapsing the built structure. Nick appeared every two hours to stoke the fire, and late on Saturday evening he stuck up a notice, saying 'bad news I'm afraid.' Not so! In our isolation we were unaware that Scotland had beaten England in the 6 Nations rugby at Murrayfield, and with a Tchaikovsky score. Tchaikovsky? Well, er, the score was 18-12.

Those attending were Martin, Alison W, Jenny, Dennis, Alison C, Kenny, Alan, Anne M, Iain M, Bill C, Eileen, Paul, Bill B, and Kathy.

Meet report by Martin, photos by the Alisons

While other club members, namely Richard H and Fraser were enjoying the Hibees bounce at Ibrox (sweet result) the rest of us made our way round the tight corner down to the bunkhouse. The forecast for Saturday was for lots of cloud, but the mountain forecast did also hint that the very high tops may be out of the clouds and unusually there was to be no buffeting from the pesky wind. There was divided opinion on the size of the hills to tackle given the forecast with Alison, Anne, Tim and the Bills electing for lower hills including the two corbetts Sgurr Innse and Cruach Innse. Bill B set off for his usual Graham bagging exploits, this time up Glen Roy where he was assisted in a river crossing by coming across an old pair of trainers conveniently located at the edge of the river, once the moss growing inside had been removed he proceeded to don his new footwear and kept his boots dry, it could only happen to Bill. Kenny and Alison clanked off with their climbing gear for the slog into the Ben, where after almost losing each other in the mist they climbed the grade II North Gully and reported quite reasonable snow conditions. Anne and I opted to go high given the forecast and were rewarded on Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag with clear tops and great views to the Ben and the mamores. Richard A had opted for Creag Pitridh along at Loch Laggan but unfortunately ended up in cloud all day, with as usual the west being best.

Tim and Anne on one of the Innses

A better than expected view

You guessed it - Tim and Anne on the other Innse

The evening was the normal beer, wine and cooking of dinner in shifts, the only downside being that there was a lack of hot water in the showers for those that returned later in the day.

On Sunday there was a lot more cloud and this time it didn't lift and the buffeting had returned. A few folks did some of the corbetts and other hills in Glen Roy, with Anne and I having a particularly strenuous day of some 2.5 hours, although I think Alison C had an even more trying day of nearly 1.5 hours. Bill C and Eileen headed off to tackle Creag Meagaidh which has evidently moved further south and nearer the A9 as we spotted their car near Drumochter!!

Meet report by Alan R, photos by Alison W