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.

Surf/Climb Holiday Part 3: Beaches

Its totally obligatory when visiting the south west of England to go to the beach.  Whats more, there is a beach to suit every mood, and most swell directions if surfing is your thing.  Surfing isn't really my thing, but I like water and wild weather and having a boogie board and a steamer wetsuit seems to be enough to entice me out in to the surf even in November.  I need fairly benign conditions however, in fact, boogie boarding lends itself to baby surf. By the end of the trip though I was starting to lust after a pair of fins and the potential to go and play in the big stuff out the back with the big boys......

Due to the wet nature of these activities, I don't have so many good photos to share with you from this aspect of the trip.  One secret site was ridden on a pre dawn raid by my proper surfing companions, and there wasn't even enough light to photograph them... However, here are a few snaps, and some pointers as to when these beaches get good:

Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, is really sheltered, and therefore only really gets going when westerly swells are huge. On this day the conditions were good to big, but the beach gets really steep towards the top of the beach and therefore only the good and the brave were out, lurking near the back.

This was Gwithian on the north coast of Cornwall on the biggest scariest day imaginable. Gale force off shore winds and massive westerly swell. The guys out windsurfing are some of the best in the country and they were eaten alive (whilst having a lot of fun). 

On the opposite coast, Praa Sands, which is a huge beach.  It was ripping quite badly on this day so I didn't stay out for long.

The best surf of the trip was had at the secret(ish) location near St Ives, which only gets good when westerly swells are really big.  Ok, so its Hawks Point, and involves an amazing meandering descent down steps and paths through cliff top gardens to get to and often a swim to the shore. We also had a lovely sunset surf at Sennen, with westerly swell and offshore winds... I really started to get the hang of my boogie thing at Putsborough, in North Devon, in messy swell that made me work really hard but was a great learning experience. Fins here we come. 

Often however, the swell was just too big, too messy, too onshore..... So we had some great walks on wild rocky beaches.  Walking out to Morte point and along to Bull Point in a gale was amazing.  We could hardly stand up in the wind, and felt at any moment we might be swept away.  Rockham beach is an incredible shattered landscape of rock and sea and was no less atmospheric for the storm.  Pictures below:

Surf/Climb Holiday Part 2: Cornish Climbing

We had about 10 days down in the South West which I fully expected to be incredibly wet and wild. We brought surf and boogie boards to give us a chance of having something to do when the inevitable foul weather came.  In the event, some of the fiercest storms of the Autumn so far lashed the western shores of the British Isles with an almost constant barage of low pressure systems, swell and dark windy days.
However, we were in luck with the rain, which generally held off until nightfall, and when the surf was just too messy and big for us northern softies, we went rock climbing.  Fancy that.

There are 2 good places I know of to climb at the southern tip of cornwall when the tides are wrong and the swell is big.  If you know of any more, let me know!
The first, Bosigran, is an old favourite of mine, and it was here that I began my long love affair with granite that was to culminate in moving to the isle of Arran.  At Bosigran, the rock is rough, solid, and generally the climbs in the lower grades are well protected,  Don't let me lull you in to a false sense of security however, the grades are very "Scottish", many of the routes are long, and the climbing athletic even at v diff.

 

Porthmoina Island, cut off from the rocky crags of Bosigran by tide and swell. 

Classic V Diff Commando Ridge- The starting pitch was washed by swell on this occasion so we left if for a calmer day....

 

Wally on the second Pitch of Ledge Climb: V Diff

 

  

Wally on the eponymous Ledge

 

Thrutching my way up the the final ledges on Alison Rib

The other great place to climb I know when the weather is wild is Trewavas head on the south coast, just along from the wonderful beach at Praa Sands.
Pictures below are of the tin mining ruins on the walk in, and me doing my best impression of a popsicle in the cold cold wind.  The climbing on the main cliff is generally short pitches, in an exposed position high above the sea.  It is certainly not a place to get out of the elements, but a good place to get away from the waves.

 

 

Surf/climb Holiday Part 1: Change of plan and Box Bay

The best laid plans.....
Our much anticipated autumn climbing and surfing trip to the Western Isles was sadly put on hold with the passing of my grandfather John Battersby.  The family gathered in Wales to celebrate and remember his extraordinary life.  There was much sadness, but a lot of happiness too as he was an amazing, funny and clever man, and remembering him brought as much laughter as sorrow.

After the funeral, we decided to stick with the climbing and surfing plan, but took advantage of our location, and began a tour of the Southwest that would take us through Wales, down to the end of Cornwall, and in to darkest Devon... I'm going to post the images in stages, as we did a fair bit, but will only bore you with the best bits!

The holiday began with a sunset climb at one of Wales' most popular surfing spots, Rest Bay.  Just east of the main beach lies a small rocky incut, known to the locals as Box Bay.  Here there are short and fun routes on sharp limestone.  Rough rock and lots of cracks make them relatively safe, and generally low in the grade (by Scottish standards), but beware many of the starts are unprotected, and the landings awkward/dangerous.

Shimmering surf in Rest Bay....

 The routes have tricky blank and barnacley starts with wet and rocky landings....

 But once established, there is plenty of gear and lots to hold on to.

 

It was a stunning evening, didn't really feel like October at all! Here's wally looking like he should be sipping a pina colada on the top of the crag. 

Eventually the sun set, and we had to go....

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

A quiet corner of the Lake District

After a few days working in Arran Active last week I was desperate to get outside again and enjoy some of the unseasonal weather we are having.  I grabbed my opportunity with a quick day out in the Lake District- on route from Scotland to Wales to visit my family. There are lots of bits of the Lakes I don't really know at all but with a bit of searching I found a route that ticked the boxes of being off the beaten track, short, fairly challenging, and close to the motorway.  A tall order for the Lakes!

I found the route in a guidebook called the Ridges of England, Wales and Ireland, where it is listed as an easy winter route.  Starting from Patterdale, I followed an easy path up Grisedale under the flank of Striding edge and then struck up rough hillside to Nethermost Cove.

View over Ullswater from the start of the walk up Grisedale.

View up Grisedale, looking towards Dollywagon Pike, with Nethermost Cove in the top right of the picture. 

 Heading up in to Nethermost Cove, with Eagle Crag above. 

I found the route from here on completely deserted, although there were plenty of people above on Striding edge.  The cove is a quiet and tranquil place and I would have loved to have spent hours just relaxing under the crags of Helvellyn. Instead, I headed up over the pathless moor above Eagle Crag and on to the East Ridge of Nethermost Pike. 

 View of of Nethermost Pike from the top of Eagle Crag.

Final craggy ridge before arriving on the summit of Nethermost Pike. 

Nethermost Pike is a quiet summit, despite being within a stones throw of Helvellyn. From here I took the ridge over High Crag to Dollywagon Pike, to descend down The Tongue and back in to Grisedale. 

Looking across to Dollywagon PIke from High Crag.

Looking back up towards Dollywagon and High Crag from the bottom of The Tongue.

All in all a fantastic day out for a cynic who has spent too much time in remote and quiet Scottish Hills. I met two folk on the ridge, and that was all once I had left Grisedale- who would have thought it on a glorious sunny Sunday in the Lakes?!

Why I love working on Ben Nevis

As a summer ML I have a  lot of varied work. However, taking clients up Ben Nevis has been a recurring theme over the last couple of years, particularly working for Macs Adventure. I always get asked how many times I have climbed Britain's highest mountain, and I honestly don't know the answer.  Not because I have lost count, but because I have never begun to count.
 "The Ben",  as climbers like to refer to it, has many faces.  There is the magnificent North Face, accessible from the Allt a Mhuilinn path, which is the domain of roped climbers both in winter and summer. There is the Carn Mor Dearg Arete, a hanging curtain of rock that frames the Allt a Mhuilinn approach and is a huge day out for experienced hill walkers and winter mountaineers.
However, most people first climb it via what used to be known as the Tourist Route.  In recent years the name has changed (I think the latest version is "The Ben Path"), but the experience is the same- a broad and often crowded motorway that climbs relentlessly from glen to summit. Experienced Scottish hill walkers love to deride this route.  It's a slog.  It's boring.  It's very very busy.
In winter, even this path is a serious undertaking, with the average year round summit temperature below freezing, the upper plateau is almost always encased in snow, ice and mist. In summer there are still hazards a plenty on this route, with cliffs and gullies to the north and south of the path, snow filled couloirs and cornices lasting until late June, and the temperature at the top usually a good 10 degrees colder than in the glen below. Nevertheless, if you climbed it on a typical Saturday in the summer holidays, it would feel more like Blackpool Pier than a remote Scottish Munro (complete with wind, rain and fog).  The wildlife has long fled in terror, the path is littered with bannana skins (and worse), and most of the people you meet have never climbed a mountain before.
So why do I enjoy working there so much?
The people that walk up Ben Nevis with me are a mixed bunch. Many have set themselves a personal challenge. Some approach the climb with little experience and a great deal of trepidation. Others already enjoy hill walking but like the banter of walking with a group. For a large proportion, it is likely that this is their first visit to Scotland. We advise everyone that although the safety and logistics will all be taken care of for them, a certain amount of physical preparation is essential.  If they have never climbed a mountain in Scotland before, nothing will prepare them for how cold it will feel at the top. For most, the walk is well within their capabilities, very rarely is someone so unprepared that they won't get to the top.  The descent is also exhausting, and it often takes just as long to get down as to go up.  The knees take a battering, the rocky steps are relentless. It is very common for apparently fit and healthy people to exclaim that they never imagined how hard and physically challenging the day would be.  What is remarkable, and wonderful, is that for these same people, they also could not imagine being able to push themselves so hard, and achieving so much- the climb exceeds their expectations in more ways than one.  I always get an immense amount of job satisfaction from helping someone to test what they thought were their physical limits, and discover that they can go so much further.  I imagine (I may be wrong), that when they return back to their real worlds, they continue to explore the boundaries of what is possible. In a way this inspires me to push myself harder too.

Here are my top 5 tips for a summer ascent of Ben Nevis via the Ben Path for the novice hill walker:

1. As well as waterproofs etc, take a hat and gloves, even in July.  Its nobbling on top most days.
2. Apple cores,orange peel and banana skins take years to rot on cold mountainsides and even when they do they damage special soils. Take them home.
3. There may be snow on the top, don't walk on the snow lined cliff edge and across the tops of gullies.  You may be walking on thin air. People have died doing this.
4. If it is not a busy day, you may need a map and compass to navigate off the top.  Do you know how to do this?
5. Trekking poles will help your knees on the way down.