Mountain cragging in winter

The final (fun) opportunity for my week off was the chance to go mountain cragging in Scotland in winter! I hooked up with Harpic (Martin Hind) for this mini adventure. It was great to see him again, he's such a cool and interesting fellow (I'm sure he won't read this so I'm safe!).

There she blows... Stac Pollaidh

The joke is that summer or winter, no matter the adventure when you ask what time does he want to meet, the answer is always 9.30am, after he has sorted out his horses! Fine, but a couple of winters ago I couldn't get used to this approach.. but I have to say that it totally works, and he's so fit, that he manages to fit anything into this time period - he likes to finish early too!

So with a sunny forecast we headed west as Martin fancied climbing Vlad the Impaler (HVS) on Stac Pollaidh. The weather started off well, but as we neared the base of the crag it was a wee bit chilly with a gale force wind!

A sheltered snack after the climb

We climbed the route, which is a great route, very gritstoneesque with lots of jamming (which I did in gloves). It was now baltic and I was surprised we weren't blown off the route. We decided not to do another route... and as we decended the top of Stac Pollaidh became enveloped in cloud. Need to go back for Jack the Ripper (E1) now, but maybe when a little less breezy!

The cloud rolls in

Hike a Bike

I should really have been purely bike training, but with last weeks good weather I decided I could maybe combine a mountain bike ride with a munro in the Cairngorms.

I have wanted to visit Beinn a' Chaorainn (Cairngorms) for some time. It sits above the famous Lairig an Laoigh pass and Fords of Avon. In one sense it's a little remote, either a 30km round trip from the Linn of Dee, or around 35km (round trip) from Glenmore Lodge. I know there are much more remote hills, but it takes a little while to get to it!

skein of geese

I decided to bike in from Glenmore Lodge over the shoulder of Bynack More. So off I toddled on my bike on a glorious sunny day. It was mainly rideable over the shoulder, with various bits of pushing to keep me amused.

Looking back to Ryvoan from Bynack More's shoulder

I got to within a km or so of the Fords of Avon, and as the track wasn't rideable in either direction I just left the bike at the side of the path knowing I'd get it on the way back (I hoped..).

bike, you can stay here

Fords of Avon refuge

The ford was fine (it's not rained for a week), but clearly there was a thaw going on so I guess some snow melt was being fed down the water courses. It was slightly more difficult to cross than when I was last here, and I could see that it wouldn't take much to make it impassible.

le top

A quick snack and I shot up Beinn a' Chaorainn after fording the river. I didn't find any path as it's normally approached from the Linn of Dee. Once on it's shoulder it was easy walking in the beautiful sunshine and I saw ptarmigan and hare both out of place still in their white winter coats.

the students start back to Aberdeen

fording...

I didn't expect to see anyone all day, but surprised 3 young folk in jeans with little equipment on the summit who had come across from Aberdeen for the day. After a friendly chat they soon left and I took in the 360 degree vista. Up until this point I'd not taken any real pictures, and thought I'd not bother.... but I started to feel more enthused about trying to capture some of the days highlights so the camera came out on the way back.

you can do it!

Returning to the ford I bumped into a party of hikers walking the Lairig an Laoigh and Lairig Ghru circuit. They were very friendly, but made heavy weather of the river crossing which gave me a focus for some pictures. I left them eating (packaged) omelette (great snack) and skipped back to the bike.

drink and paddle stop (so cold!)

The ride and push back was great, and not at all arduous. It was so sunny and mild that I got through the 2 litres in the platypus and needed an extra litre of burn water.. I took this opportunity for a paddle, which was pretty cold but refreshing. The stretch back from Bynack More's shoulder to Glenmore is so good on a bike, fast as you dare... A gentle 6' 30" hill day.

Scottish Hot Rock

With the massive thaw and unseasonally warm weather most of the Scottish snow has gone, or is going so we decided to go rock climbing, which is very peculiar for this time of the year, especially for me.

We intended to go to Gruinard, but because we were chatting so much in the van it wasn't noticed that I was going the wrong way as I turned towards Torridon. We only noticed at Achnasheen! We had been talking about the very sad and untimely death of Andy Nisbet and Steve Perry, who were killed new routing on Ben Hope not so many weeks ago.

The waterfall comes into view up on the right

I don't profess to have known Andy very well at all, but of our 3-4 encounters he had made a big impression upon me, a great man with a quiet, soft voice but definite confidence and presence, always positive with a story to tell. Everyone seems to have a great tale of an encounter with Andy, and I've never heard anything but positive praise for this stalwart of Scottish climbing. I hadn't met Steve. They will be greatly missed I'm without doubt.

As we had driven the wrong way (drat) Loz frantically checked the guidebook and we thought about Stone Valley, but then waterfall buttress on Beinn a' Mhuinidh above the end of loch Maree, opposite Beinn Eighe was mentioned... I'd always wanted to climb next to this waterfall, and with the warm weather, and Loz reading that the first ascent of one of the routes was soloed by Andy Nisbet, it seemed very fitting and the right thing to do.

The route takes the dry rock to the right of the waterfall

There aren't that many routes recorded and the best seem to be a couple of 2 star Severe's 100m in length. We picked Blanco S 4a the Nisbet route and pared down the gear and set off on the scenic path towards Slioch and Loch Maree.

It was so mild, and beautiful walking along the valley through the old forest remnants, mainly alder, oak, ash and birch. Loz is an arboriculturalist (I think that may be the correct term?!... a tree person basically!) and it was interesting what he was saying about the tree's, their lift cycle and conservation value. Seeing an old hollow oak that he guessed was 300 years old it was fascinating how he described how the tree has self sacrificed its limbs over the centuries to maintain a more compact and stable structure and base. These veteran tree's are now recognised as the most important to protect from a conservation perspective, which is a relatively new approach. Even 10-20 years ago it would of been a 'its unstable and dying, better to chop it down approach'.. fascinating stuff.

Loz on pitch 1

After a cookie break by Loch Maree we struck up hill when below the waterfall and it didn't take long to gain the height and get to the base of the spout! A cool place indeed! I'll be honest now, it wasn't hot, in fact a little chilly as we started climbing.

chubby hamster on the belay

The route was quite adventurous mixing good solid climbing with loose unstable rock! Given the latter, which there was lots of, I wouldn't have wanted to solo the route for sure as Andy did on his first ascent.

Loz jumping across the top of the waterfall

The views to the waterfall, and across to Beinn Eighe were great and we took our time at the top savouring it. As we walked out it became warmer, and Loz commented that it very much felt like a warm summers evening in the Lake District.

Type 2 Fun...

I've wanted to link up a few tracks in the SE Cairngorms for awhile, and had the brainwave to do this yesterday. I'd seen the mt bike route in a guidebook and it sounded quite mellow, 26km, with 450m of height gain/decent.

And we are off..

I'd nearly done it a few weeks ago, but waited for a thaw to ensure that the snow and ice was definitely gone. Given its modest length and the positive description I thought that we had time to dawdle over to Braemar, start about 1pm, giving us 4-5 hrs of daylight. The perfect plan, right?!

A busy Bob Scott's

Not quite... We set of from the Linn of Dee at 1pm, passing Bob Scott's bothy (full of lunching folk) and Derry Lodge. I love this side of the Cairngorms and was full of positivity and happiness pointing out various features, hills and landmarks to Abi as we headed West.

Towards the end of the 'riding' near Luibeg

I knew the track gets more technical, and problematic for a bike around the Luibeg Burn, but with the river high (snow melt), we had an extra carry to the bridge instead of fording, which in retrospect would of been better. I think somewhere around here Abi questioned the ride-ability of the days enterprise....

pushing

More pushing

Things deteriorated in a sense from here... it was a push mostly round the shoulder of Carn a' Mhaim (which I knew), but even down the other side it was only partially rideable down towards the Corrour bothy.

a little more pushing

I was very conscious that time was slipping away, and tried to keep us moving even though the terrain was pretty awful for the bike. Abi pointed out that it would of been a nice walk (without a bike), and she had a very valid point!

First views of Devils Point

The scenery was stunning, I'd not seen Devils Point from this direction before and it was fantastic, reminding me of a winter camp years back near its top with Ben who wanted to play cards (I hate card games) after we got in the tent after 10 hrs walking in a storm, when all I wanted was food and sleep, but we did have a 'cheese course' and hip flask during that long stormy night!

Heading South on dream single track - View N to Lairig Ghru

The guidebook had suggested fantastic single track from the Corror bothy, South to White Bridge, so I thought that this would be our saviour and we would get back before dark.

Tick, tock...tick tock...time marches on and the track South was 80-90% unrideable, a boggy, rocky, hell! Our spirits were pretty low by now, in fact probably had been for a while. At one point I worked out we only had 6km to White Bridge and a good estate track, but this took forever as we were pushing, lifting, carrying the bikes mostly.

couple hundred meters of nice trail

I realised we wouldn't make White Bridge before dark and dug out the head torches for the last 2 km or so. As darkness fell it felt quite serene trapped in the capsule of light from the head torch, blackness all around. We started enjoying the adventure again :-) .

Arriving at White Bridge and the rideable track we were both pretty happy to be out of the worst of it, only another 3-4 miles back to the Linn of Dee, and the track gently descends following the river so it is easy riding at least. It was nice riding along by torch light.

I can't actually remember another bike ride as exhausting as this, or one were I have been caught out by darkness. Definitely a type 2 fun day which we finished with fish and chips in Braemar.

Oh.. time to push again

Footnote - It's now funny looking at my pictures. Some are good photo's that capture the magnificent scenery, and without knowing the detail and ordeal required to get them, or to the particular place then it would be easy to think that it was all just an easy and scenic ride and day. The photo's hide some (?all) of the harshness and physical and mental stress that formed most of the day! All said though I did enjoy the adventure, but I won't take a bike on this particular route ever (EVER) again.

West Coast, best coast?!

The Woodland Trust Scotland hope to purchase the 10,000 acre Sheildaig estate, and Donald is interested in this project being an ecologist. I've always wanted to explore this area, so tagged along hoping we might spy some unexplored crags...

The slog..

The weather was great and I did looked longingly at the snow and ski possibilities as we motored through  Achnasheen heading to Torridon.

Finally on the shoulder

We passed Jack and Jenna heading to the Torridon boulders en-route, if we had time we may have stopped off on the way back.

Beinn Alligin behind grumpy (who was now cheery) 

Donald informed me that Sheildaig has a substantial Birch temperate rainforest at sea level, which then blends into the worlds most westerly Caledonian pine wood - impressive.

sorry couldn't lose my shadow

It was very beautiful, the main issue I saw was that Ben Shieldaig is very steep and craggy on 3 sides, with no paths marked on maps, so I wasn't convinced that the exploration walk would be enjoyable.

Beinn Damph

And I was right, well initially! Ben Sheildaig is only 534m high, and the slog up it was awful and hard work, being steep, boggy and overgrown. Donald declared near the top, after a considerable time that he hated walking, and threw his poles away in disgust... eek..

Liathach

At this point I wasn't sure about the success of the day! But luckily we made it onto the broad top, or ridge and moods picked up at this point. Stupendous views to Raasay, Torridon, Applecross and beyond.

The top, although small in height, was large in area and grandeur. Really interesting, with the beautiful loch nan Eun, rock sheets, and glacial erratics to marvel at. We savoured the views before the awful decent! A 5km walk that took 4' 30"!!

Ski Weekend

Bumper snow in the NW of Scotland meant we headed to the East obviously!

mountain closed

reindeer action

But there was a reason for this... Loz fancied another go at ski touring and trying his battered old ski's
again.

happy chappy

Ciste run 1

I hadn't realised that he has quite a ski pedigree, racing as a child, but last year when he tried his free ski's he couldn't ski for toffee on them.. or at least that's what I heard.

man down

winter skills

He got given the touring ski's and skins, but hasn't got any boots, and there are only 2 places in the Highlands that hire boots - Aviemore and Braemar.

quite like this shot.. not sure what he's doing

Ciste run 2 - more aggressive!

Interestingly when he booked the boots to pick up from Aviemore, he enquired about hiring ski's, but they were cagey and reluctant to hire him ski's as the snow cover was quite patchy with limited base so they were very concerned about what state they would come back in.

So I sharpened his ski edges with earnest (and wine) the night before, and he decided to give them another go to see if a) he liked ski touring b) the ski's are okay or for the bin.

Plenty of tourers out

third time up

We headed to Cairngorm mountain. After a coffee skinned up M2 onto the shoulder, passing the reindeer herd on route.  The cloud was sitting on top of the hill most of the day so instead of heading over the back we went round to Ciste Gully. Brilliant snow and skiing with 4-5" of fresh snow on a hard base.

ice station zebra

now he starts to show off. fence jump start

There were lots of folk out, tourers, walkers struggling in the snow drifts, people on winter skills courses. It was great to be out. We did another lap of Ciste Gully, before skinning up a third time and skiing down through the ski run area.

brilliant snow - top half of mt

The Ptarmigan top station is clearly closed due to the funicular being off line this year so it was quiet at the top. They were running skiing only to the mid station, so the whole top half of the mountain was pretty untouched and the ski down in powder was brilliant.

the master (of disaster)

first tracks

We got down at 3.30pm, I wanted to skin up again for another run, but Loz didn't have the legs and wanted beer, so we called it a day. Oh and his ski's were pretty good now they have an edge so he's going to buy boots! He reported that they were excellent on piste, not bad off, but got a little buried in the powder as they are quite short and narrow! A great days skiing.

...................................................................................................................................................................

With the forest looking snowy I thought that Abi might want to try xc skiing on the Sunday. So another non-lie in day saw us back in the Cairngorms. You can't pre-book xc ski's so we collected them at 9am, then went for coffee and a breakfast roll sit was snowing!

Setting off from the car near the hay meadow Abi looked a little scared and even though we have all been there its nerve racking see someone on ski's for the first time like (bambi trying to walk entered my head).

means business

They pre-cut 2 loops in the forest to follow and we went on the Southern one. Abi quickly improved, but didn't enjoy the down hill bits, which is reasonable as it's quite hard to stop on xc ski's (I fell on one decent).

It was nice cruising around the forest and Abi quickly got into the swing of things. On some down hills I would take off my ski's and run alongside her to give confidence and get used to the speed and her balance on the ski's.

checking the competition

On the second half of the loop she was fine and looked like a pro. A great 2 days skiing in the Highlands.

seasoned skier..