Glens and peaks...

The weather today was a lot better than forecast with the predicted showers skirting the island and cloud billowing around the high tops but never closing in.  It was a glorious day for photographs and I took a visiting photographer on a journey through the big glens and over the Saddle.  We were treated to a flypast by a couple of golden eagles, and some great views of a bachelor herd of red deer stags. My wildlife photos are useless but hopefully my landscapes will stand up to a bit of scrutiny!  My photographer companion Ann Holmes' photos on the other hand are astonishing, follow this link to see the photos she took during her visit to Arran including on her day out with me. 

The morning mist clinging to Cir Mhor as we set off up Glen Sannox

The Sleeping Warrior resting in the clouds. 

The view along the ridge from The Saddle. 

Looking south to Glen Rosa with the low winter sun in our eyes. 

The classic view to Cir Mhor from Glen Rosa

Unfinished Gully

Yesterday Wally and I headed up to the Saddle to have a look at a line we spotted last weekend. It had looked continuous from floor to sky with good ice all the way so it seemed worth an early start and a bit of optimism.  The gully is the thinnest and steepest of three that split the wall to the right of the Whin Dyke.
When we arrived at the base, water was running behind the thin smear of ice where the gully exits the face so we walked up the right hand gully to where we could traverse in to see if we could set up a toprope.  No belays were forthcoming, so we entered the gully at the second pitch where the ice issues from a winding cleft. Here it was firmer and we followed a scrappy line with several small steps at about grade II.  A chockstone was easily passed on the left at the gully exit. The lower unclimbed section looked like it would be about grade III in fatter conditions. The climbing was fun, but aesthetically this was an ugly route with thin ice, frozen turf and just a little snow.

Gorgeous spring sunlight in Glen Sannox

Wally hunting for belays above the bottom section

Final chockstone

Still wintery in the hills!

Cir Mhor Ramble

I didn't see much evidence of ice forming from Goatfell on Saturday so we foolishly left this gear behind yesterday when we went to have a look at the back of Cir Mhor above Glen Sannox. This was an error, as Pan's Pipe, a rare grade III looked thin but doable. We decided to set off up Trap Dyke gully to the right to see if we could top rope the ice from above.  Belays are scarce on this part of the hill so in the end we headed up right from the first pitch of Trap Dyke on unprotected snow to gain the ramp above the wedge.  This slants back left to the shoulder on grade I-II ground.  In all we took 7 long pitches from the glen to the shoulder.  Gear was sparse, snow sugary, but turf and ice good. Descent off Cir Mhor to the saddle was grim under current snow conditions, but it was a great proper winter mountaineering ramble of a day.

Wintery Cir Mhor looming at the head of Glen Sannox

There was a short pitch of II to gain Coire na Uamh

Top of Pans Pipe from Trap Dyke

Heading out right to gain the ramp above the Wedge

Glorious views of Caisteal Abhail

On the ramp hunting for belays.

Looking across the saddle to Mullach Buidhe and Goatfell.

Quick Scramble over The Saddle

Walking through the Glens from Sannox to Glen Rosa via the saddle is one of the great linear walks on the Isle of Arran, but it should not be underestimated.  Whilst the height gain is fairly minimal (less than 450m), there is a steep climb out of Glen Sannox, and a little scramble up a chimney known as the Whin Dyke to gain the saddle between the two glens.

We left the car at the bus stop opposite the Wineport on the outskirts of Brodick and hopped on a bus at about 1100 this morning.  Not long after we alighted at Sannox, and began the long walk up the glen. It was great to be traveling light for a change as the low altitude of the walk meant no need for axe, crampons, or lots of other heavy gear.

Approaching The Saddle (on the left of Cir Mhor) at the head of Glen Sannox. 

Beginning the steep climb up to the base of the chimney, which provides an exit on to the ridge. The alternative is heavily eroded hillside- unpleasant. 

 

The scramble up the Whin Dyke is on rocky steps on the left of the chimney, straightforward to climb when dry, a good bit more dodgy in descent, especially when wet. 

Yes that's me.

 

Beautiful light on the Saddle.  The peak in the middle is North Goatfell. Goatfell's main summit is on the right

partially obscured by the mist.

 

Descending in to Glen Rosa.  There is a burn to cross near the head of the glen which can be tricky after heavy rain. 

Looking back up Glen Rosa to Cir Mhor from the south.  It is about at this point that we were treated to views of a pair of golden eagles, flying over the hillside above. 

Esoteric Ice: Coire nam Fuaran

I think I mentioned this before.... but Arran really hasn't had that much in the way of snow compared to the rest of the uk.  Having said that, it has been incredibly cold.  Last week Wally and I spotted what looked like a streak of ice emerging from a steep gully high above Glen Sannox, in a remote coire called Coire nam Fuaran. The location was duly noted, and filed for future reference.

On Sunday, primed with this information, friend and climbing neighbour Robin Barnden went and had a look around. He reported back with tales of a long and necky solo up a thin streak of ice in the back of a deep couloir.  The route finished east of Mullach Buidhe and was all there from start to finish. 
Monday, you may remember, it snowed.  A lot.

We ventured out on Tuesday morning to go and have a look at Robin's icefall.

 

It was a cold and frosty walk up Glen Sannox.  Lots of fresh snow visible on the higher slopes. 

A frigid looking Cioch na h'Oighe in the cold dawn light. 

The approach to Coire nam Fuaran involves a nightmare bash up bolder strewn heather slopes.  Even with the covering of fresh snow this was no fun.  Ice filled gullies caused large detours. The approach was extremely tedious but we did manage to find a network of deer paths leading to the coire from the valley floor... (for future reference I would consider walking up to the saddle and approaching from the first shoulder of North Goatfell).

The final approach to Coire nam Fuaran.

Icefall marking the entrance to the gully. 

Fabulous views of Cir Mhor from the route. 

From Coire nam Fuaran, the gully is less obvious than it is from Glen Sannox, as the entrance is blocked overlapping granite slabs.  A cascade of ice was clearly visible under the fresh snow.  This first pitch gave easy sport at about grade II.

Wally on the first pitch. 

The second pitch consisted mainly of easy snow slopes that delved in to the back of a deep chasm.  Harder ice on pitch 3 led up on the right from the back of the gully. 

Above this, pitch 4 had  more excellent quality ice, although the conditions meant that a fair bit of digging was required. 

Beyond pitch 4 the terrain eased in to a broad fan of snow and we picked our way between turf and snow up on to the higher slopes of the mountain.  In all there was probably about 200m+ of moving together on easy snow slopes.  Protection was hard to find and the unconsolidated and at times slabby snow conditions made this the most nerve wracking part of the day.

The route finishes about 200m west of the summit of Mullach Buidhe. When we topped out the light was failing, the moon setting, and we could simultaneously see the lights of Glasgow, Lochgilphead and Campbeltown. 

We took the easiest route down, heading over Mullach Buidhe and dropping down from the col before North Goatfell and out of Coire Lan. to the road at Corrie.  Big thanks to Jamie who picked us up at the road and took us back to the van in Sannox. Also huge respect to Robin for what was undoubtedly a bold and interesting solo. We estimate the overall length of the route to be about 450m with 200m of quality climbing at about grade II/III.

Low Winter Sun: Cioch na h-Oighe

I think I have been up Cioch na h-Oighe more than any other ridge or peak on Arran. Close to the road, it is just a steep heather bash from Glen Sannox and a great choice for a shorter day if you want to get in to technical rocky scrambling terrain.  The rock is generally sound, the views immense, and it is one of the quietest places in the Northern Hills- I rarely meet anyone else up there.

So, this morning, a long lie and a good weather forecast lured us back up there with a promise of a fun scramble and some winter sunshine.  We were not disappointed. I think it would be hard for me to get tired of this fantastic ridge.

 

Walking up Glen Sannox for a short distance, before cutting up to the left and towards the Devil's Punchbowl. 

I've have described this route a few times, but in case you are new to the blog- climbing up to the Cioch involves taking a path leading up towards the Devil's Punchbowl, above Sannox, and then picking a traverse line under the nose of the Cioch, before scrambling over slabs and scree to reach the upper slopes.  The final tower forms a hooked prow, spectacular in profile.  On the left, the terrifying crags of The Bastion drop away, and to the right, steep but heathery slopes in to Glen Sannox.

Arriving on the Cioch, we were blinded by the low winter sun.  It was glorious, but a bit much so we gratefully dropped down in to the notch beyond, and followed the undualting crest over granite blocks and through narrow squeezes until the ridge broadened in to the flanks of Mullach Buidhe.

 

Cir Mhor from Mullach Buidhe

Beyond Mulllach Buidhe, there is a short descent before the final climb on to North Goatfell. Here the bright sun dazzled us again,  The view from the summit was incredible, and as well as the snow capped highlands to the North we could also make out Jura, and for the first time ever- clearly, the Isle of Mull to the Northwest.

On the summit of North Goatfell

Finally we began our descent down to The Saddle between North Goatfell and Cir Mhor. In places the path is heavily eroded and a fine scree of granite gravel means that care is required on descent.  From the saddle we traversed a short distance under the North East flank of Cir Mhor, before descending a well marked but scree filled Gully above the Whinstone Dyke.  From here, in descent, you have a choice of continuing to folow loose scree to the right (facing out) or descending the dyke itself, which is steep but certainly preferable in dry conditions.  There is plenty for hands, but the footholds are a bit polished by time, boots and running water. 

At last we arrived back in to Glen Sannox, and all that remained was a long stomp out of the glen as the light failed.  We passed a small herd of stags on the way, who crossed the river to avoid us, but still allowed us great views of their magnificent head gear.

Glen Sannox Horseshoe

A full round of the Glen Sannox Horseshoe is no mean feat especially when the days are getting shorter so Graham, Wally and I set off at sunrise yesterday morning to tackle this magnificent ridge.
As we climbed the lower slopes towards the Devil's Punchbowl, we could hear stags roaring in the glen below, and were bathed in beautiful early morning sunshine.
By the time we were on the ridge of Cioch na h-Oighe, the sun was up and a cold wind was whipping across the knife edge ridge.

The scramble up the Cioch is an entertaining ramble amongst granite slabs and blocks.  The Cioch itself forms a hook on the prow of the ridge.From here, gentle undulations broaden out on to Mullach Buidhe (below).

The northern slopes of Mullach Buidhe give way to a steep climb up on to North Goatfell. The route turns right here, and begins a long descent past granite tors in to the Saddle below Cir Mhor.

The climb back up out of the saddle is energy sapping, and once on the summit of Cir Mhor, it was sobering to think we were only half way round. The going gets easier for a while after this however, with a gentle descent form Cir Mhor (below), and a steady climb back up to the summit of the Castles (Caisteal Abhail), the highest point on the "Sleeping Warrior" ridge that bounds the northern flank of Glen Sannox.

The picture below shows the view form the summit of Caisteal Abhail, looking back towards Cir Mhor at the right of the picture.

Finally, the ridge narrows once more and there is plenty more fine scrambling to be had.

Negotiating the steep loose slopes of the Witches Step can be tricky in poor conditions.  The main difficulties of the climb out of the step are avoided by descending north in to the gully and picking up a traverse path that winds over steep rock back up to the ridge. We were fortunate that although there were squalls of snow and hail forecast, they passed us by.  Besides a bitterly cold wind, we were treated to near perfect weather.

To find out more about guided walks in Arran's Mountains, visit my main website: www.arranwildwalks.co.uk

Winter Marches On

A couple of days worth of pics here- the first lot are from Wednesday when we headed up Beinn a Chliabhain and then descended in to Coire a Bhradain to see if any of the climbs on Nuis and Tarsuinn were in condition.

Sadly the sun had melted too much of the easier gullies already and not enough ice had formed in the harder lines on Nuis to all that was left to do was build a snowman and bask in the sunshine.

Next day after a days admin work we headed out for a late trip over the saddle between Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa. We made the saddle before sunset and walked out of Glen Rosa in the dark. Very atmospheric!

Crossing the saddle at the moment requires full winter skills. We went around the Whinstone Dyke as it is choked with unconsolidated snow and headed up left of the main difficulties on open slope. Not too bad but needed the ice axe and glad of the crampons. Consequences of a slip up here don't bear thinking about.

Over the hills and far away

Summer is now well and truly over and since my last post Arran has been battered by gales and snow which has plastered the hills for days. Fortunately for me, I have been enjoying a climbing and beach holiday in the warm south (Cornwall) and have avoided most of the bad weather. I returned this week to lead an expedition of students from Glasgow on a three day hike across the Northend from Lochranza to Brodick.

The original plan for this group had been a trip to Knoydart, but the weather and an injury to their course leader meant a last minute itinerary change. My disappointment at not travelling to Scotlands last great wilderness was tempered by joy at being able to enjoy the hills I love the best and share them with a group.

The key to a multi-day backpacking trip is going lightweight. The temptation is to bring too much and 'luxury' items add up to a heavy bag... It is important to eat well, but avoid food that is already hydrated eg. tins and cartons, and go instead for dried meals such as noodles, porridge and rice. Tins are heavy, and add weight and bulk to rubbish that must be carried out again. Nutrition in the hills is all about carbs. A little protein is good for longer trips and fat helps keep you warm at night but I rarely worry about my vitamin intake even on a long trip. A cunning campfood is instant custard, which makes a delicious high calorie desert especially if tipped over a lump of cake on a cold eve, and has barely any cooking time so doesn't use much gas. My naughty luxury item on this trip- a tube of condensed milk. Yummy mixed with hot water and museli or squeezed into tea. This was a tip I picked up from Roger Wild of the MCofS who was my guide on a Conville Course a few years ago and I definately owe him for that one!

If like me, you expect to do quite a few long distance trips over the years, it is worth investing in some quality equipment. A warm down sleeping bag, a lightweight thermarest type mat, a lightweight stove, and a decent lightweight tent. My favourite piece of kit for this trip- my Pocket Rocket, an nifty little stove from MSR that weighs virtually nothing and goes like a train (or a rocket).

The route for the students was a short but ambitious one due to the steep terrain. We started at Lochranza, walking over the Narachan path, to the remote Laggan Cottage on the North East Coast of Arran. The moors above Laggan are home to red deer, kestrels and we were even lucky enough to glimpse a golden eagle wheeling high above the tops (See top picture). From Laggan, we followed the Coastal Way to Sannox, and then found a campsite in Glen Sannox. At sea level, this was a warm night, and we were cosy in our tents until disturbed by rowdy deer at a late hour.

The following morning began with a march up Glen Sannox, and then a hard pull up to Coire Na h-Uaimh. The path is faint and often boggy, and from the coire rim, the mist closed in and made finding the exit path through the steep headwall interesting! From the ridge above, we took a traverse path to the West of Cir Mhor, and then descended below the western slopes of the treacherous A Chir ridge (See image above). Finally, we climbed back up to the ridge, picking our way across the lower slopes of Beinn Tarsuinn to take the huntsmans pass down in to Coire A Bhradain. In bad visibility we grabbed the first flat spot we found and pitched camp under the looming cliffs of the Meadow Face of Beinn Tarsuinn.

The final day dawned and the group were tired and looking forward to going home. We took a cunning route out of Coire A Bhradain and down to Glen Rosa that allowed everyone to practice their micro-navigation skills. By returning to Brodick via the Castle grounds and the Fishermans Walk by the golf course, we were able to save our tired feet from miles of tarmac in the last section.

Thankyou to the students of North Glasgow College for a fantastic trip! If you are interested in the route, you can view it in full on the Ordnance Survey website: http://explore.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/os_routes/show/6054