I had been occupied with a Land's End to John O'Groats cycle ride last week, so hadn't been focused on the mountains, nor had I been watching the mountain forecasts as I normally do. I was looking forward to a day off, even if I had to spend it driving for 6hrs from Caithness to Stirling, but at least it gave my muscles a rest from 900 miles of pedalling. The day after, I was due back on the hills, and again, I was actually looking forward to it, to giving a different muscle group a work out to loosen them up.
 
Jeff and Lisa got in touch with me in late 2016, from Ohio in the US. They were planning a UK tour, and wanted to include a day in the Scottish mountains, so I was pleased to oblige of course. What made it especially pleasing for me was that they had no real objectives, no 'must-do's', and were understanding of the implications of our weather, along with the kit that makes it an altogether more enjoyable experience, (something that is not always the case!). The forecast was wet in the morning,  with no real wind (aarggh, midges!), but brightening up in the West, so it was West we went.
 
Jeff had mooted the Tarmachan Ridge as a possibility, but that was due North of Stirling, so wetter longer, but also the Cobbler, which fitted the bill perfectly. After a rather later start than I like due to the ridiculously late breakfasts that Scottish B&B's seem to insist on, we drove over to Arrochar in the rain and low cloud. We joked about the forecast game, where you find several but take the one you prefer; I was sticking with Mr.Monk at MWIS, and he didn't let me down. As we arrived, the midges got munching, but the rain stopped, and it cleared up gradually as we ascended. In fact, whilst the midges promised to be fierce, they weren't t all bad all day, maybe a legacy of the long dry spring? Here's hoping.
 
On the way up the zig-zag path from Succoth, we chatted about the work of the Forestry Commission on the paths, the wee micro-habitats provided by the clear felling and deer-exclusion fences, the various plants to be found, and even the art of 'going' in the woods, (something one needs to practice! ;)
 
After an hour you pop out of the trees and get the first views of the Cobbler, or Ben Arthur as it is properly named. It was misty and atmospheric, the 'horns' coming and going in the cloud. we shared the route with a number of parties, noticeable for being younger than normal, which is a good thing I feel, seeing the young on the hills. Indeed one young couple had camped right next to the path, and were valiantly making a fry-up amongst the midges!
 
We cut off the 'tourist' trail, and struck upwards into the coire along a much-improved path that takes you direct to the bealach between the East and central summits. The path-builders have done a splendid job on what was a horribly eroded area, and are to be congratulated. They are continuing on the path up Beinn Narnain and on the wet bealach to Beinn Ime, a much-needed improvement too, so well done in my opinion.
 
After a snack in the sun and the breeze (to avoid the midges), we took the slabby approach up to the East summit, which Jeff and Lisa tackled with aplomb, filling me with confidence for the main summit. The views were excellent, the cloud giving shadows and perspective, but the clear air giving views as far as Ailsa Craig and the Mull of Kintyre to the South West, and the Black Mount and Glen Etive etc in the North, as well as Lochs Long and Awe of course. We didn't dally, but made our way sharply to the main attraction, the threading of the needle on to the main summit.
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This can be a little unnerving when the mica schist rock is wet, as it can be quite slippery. We were blessed with sun and a breeze however, and the rock was perfect. Jeff and Lisa have both climbed previously, so were confident and assured as we crawled through the hole, edged along the ledge and then smartly over the crux moves to the summit for a photo. The 360 degree drops always focus the attention, but the scrambling is on sound rock, and with care is quite straightforward.
 
I would have liked to have gotten a shot of them stood on the block, but of course I was up there with them, so hey ho, maybe next time!
 
Once we were down, it was just a case of taking the path down to the high bealach between Narmain, Ime and the Cobbler, and the turn sharp right and back down to the car. Ben Lomond looked splendid in the afternoon light, and we chatted all the way down, greeting a surprising amount of walkers on their way up, making the most of the long summer evenings.
 
It is always a gamble making a booking so far in advance, but with the flexible attitude that Jeff and Lisa had, there is always something you can enjoy, and I feel we made the best of it. Thanks for your company folks, an absolute pleasure.

After a great trip to the summit of Elbrus in Russia, 5642m, I was looking forward to getting home and doing an Oxygen-rich trip into Glencoe with Gillian and Christine, who had booked me for a scramble day. The problem was that the long dry spell had come abruptly to an end with wind and rain on the Tuesday we had planned, so reluctantly it had to be moved to Wednesday. That meant only Chris could come, as Gill had work commitments.

Chris and I met and shared a car to Glencoe, and beat the crowds at the normally busy lay-by by being on the route by 8am. I think it would be fair to say she had internal reservations about the looming bulk of Gearr Aonach, as I find most folks do - It is one of those routes that looks utterly improbable from the roadside, and being tricky to find the start of, is not well-trodden.

We picked our way up through the deep bracken, and after a snack, set off up initially wet rock under the scar on the cliff caused by a relatively recent rockfall. It was a case of stay upright, in balance, and look for the grippy holds amongst the slime and wet. After ten minutes, you arrive at the quality scrambling. Dry, sound rock, with holds abounding. Excellent. Chris followed my lead, and learned how to mitigate her diminutive stature by looking for the smaller, less-obvious holds, easing her way steadily and safely upwards.

Before long, we arrived at the crux move, a ledge with a bulge that pushes you out, followed by an undercut hold and a long reach around a corner before you get to easier ground. With some coaching and encouragement, Chris dealt with her nervousness admirably, and was soon coasting up the final easy moves to the top. Very well done!

We then followed the ridge of Gearr Aonach to the NE ridge of Stob Coire nan Lochan, where some more scrambling was enjoyed in the low cloud, Chris even taking to lead at the final few moves. After a short break at the summit, we dropped to the col, and on to the highest point in Argyll, Bidean nam Bian at 1150m.

As we descended the ridge towards the head of the Lost Valley, the clouds lifted, and we got ever clearer views of Glen Etive, Westwards towards Mull, the Buachailles, Blackwater, and the Aonach Eagach. As we descended the loose gully, we noticed a group of folks beavering away on improving the path up to the end of the valley. We stopped for a chat with Simon, who explained that they were attempting to create a 'line' which people will hopefully follow even when the path gets covered in scree. A hard, challenging job, and one for which I am grateful - Well done the National Trust for Scotland, and especially the Path Team!

It was then just a case of enjoy the rugged beauty as we greeted tourists galore on their walk up the valley, and we were down to the packed car park within 7.5hrs, a very respectable time.  I always enjoy taking people to places they have not been, and particularly enjoy helping folks push themselves - Chris had not scrambled to this level before, and despite her nervousness, she showed calm resolve, and grew in confidence as we went. A really enjoyable day out......especially all that lovely Oxygen!!!! ;)

I have just spent a very enjoyable couple of days in the company of a great group of fellas on their inaugural trip to Skye. They had been pulled together by an old boss of mine Jon, and the remit was for an introduction to the island's hills, so what better than Bruach na Frithe and Blaven? The forecast was for a good day on Friday, sunny and only light winds, but wetter and claggier on Saturday, so I opted for Bruach na Frithe first. This is a hill that gives a fabulous view point over the rest of the Black Cuillin ridge that keep improving with height, and taken by the North ridge gives ample opportunity for easy, escapable scrambling. None of the guys were particularly experienced, and indeed a couple were not keen on exposure, so this fitted the bill ideally.
 
We set off from the car park at the head of Glen Brittle which was already all but full with the hordes of folks that now visit the Fairy Pools - VisitScotland have done one heck of a job promoting this and other destinations on Skye over the last few years, and I only hope some of the revenue that is obviously pouring in can get spent on infrastructure, as the pressure of so many folks is starting to tell in my opinion. Once a few metres away from the new wide path, things reverted to a more normal, quiet path which works its way up to the Bealach a'Mhaim, the high point between glens Brittle and Sligachan.
 
It would be fair to say that it is a bit of a relentless slog once off the path, and a couple of the guys didn't particularly enjoy that, but we were soon onto more interesting terrain as the ridge narrowed, and the concentration required at making good foot placements always seems to make you forget the effort. I covered all the aspects of efficient and safe movement over the loose rock, and then some basic tips on safe scrambling as we picked our way up the ridge. The views were getting ever more grand, and Ian and Ed, (our two professional photographers) were in their element. Even the more nervous folks were growing in confidence as we tackled a more ambitious route than that of the easier loose path that runs to the west of the crest. Indeed, some folks on their descent remarked light-heartedly that we were making it harder for ourselves, but I replied that it was more fun, to almost unanimous support from the team ;)
 
Finally, after some lovely airy but easy scrambling, we made the summit at 958m, and simply wonderful views all around. After a pose on the trig point, I sat for a sandwich to allow the guys to take it all in, and a great deal of photos were snapped. The route down was via a view point over the impressive Basteir Tooth, and we stopped to chat with a chap and his guide who had just abseiled off it down King's Cave Chimney.....maybe next time guys eh? ;) We then just sauntered down the Fionn Coire in the sunshine, occasionally having to wait for the photographers, particularly when they tried to coax a frog into posing for quite some time! The guys at the front and I sat waiting on the picnic benches at the car park, happy and content with our day out, looking up at the ridge, and not in any hurry, but were rudely awakened from our reverie - The dreaded midges were out! Not a lot I grant you, but enough to chase us to the cars. Drat. Only one thing for it then...the Old Inn at Carbost for some well-earned Skye Gold.
 
Saturday morning was damp and drizzly, with no wind, so we knew we had to be sharpish around the car when getting sorted, or the little blighters would have us again. We saw a makeshift overnight camp with a landrover and a tapaulin, and can only imagine what kind of night the occupants must have had. The next wee challenge was that it was quite muggy, so temperature control within your clothing was nigh-on impossible, and I regretted not having a long sleeved base layer on as my arms and clammy waterproof touched. Actually, as the day wore on and we got into our stride, this ceased to be a problem, but it's always unpleasant to start the day.
 
Our objective was Blaven, (or Bla Bheinn), the Blue Mountain, the only one of the Skye munros not part of the main ridge, where there are a further 11. It has spectacular views of the main ridge, and particularly the splendid Pinnacle Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean, but it wouldn't have today. The guys joked that it was like walking into Mordor, and various of them had been given character names. Gimli in particular was caught by the swirling cloud and ever-changing light. The route has had a good deal of work done on the eroded path, but is still characterised by a lot of loose scree and angular boulders, and care must be taken to not slip or dislodge things.
 
I prefer a shallow gully scramble up the steepest part of the route instead of the 'path' that is horribly eroded and dangerous in my opinion, and the team negotiated it with aplomb. They had fully embraced my 'ninja' movement on loose stuff, and not once was anything dislodged, which was credit to them. At the top of this there is a fairly clear path along the impressive rocky edge that negotiates deep and brooding chasms as it rises to the summit, with just one more bit of scrambling.
 
As we expected, the summit was totally clagged-in, so there were no views, but still a palpable sense of satisfaction as the summit photos were taken.  For most it was only their second munro, and the two days had given a real taster of the contrasting conditions to be found in Scotland. We descended the same way, and again, the gully was handled like pros. We split up after the wee burn crossing as the photographers wanted to make the most of the improving light, and the advance party made our way to the Gabbro Bar at the Broadford hotel to sample what else....Blaven ale.
 
Often a group of mixed abilities and experience can be a challenge to cater for, both in terms of length of route chosen and technicality, particularly on such complex terrain as Skye. Jon's team of Ed, Andy, Phil, Roger and Ian had such a positive and upbeat approach that my job was made easy, and I thoroughly enjoyed helping them to develop their confidence and skill on the rock, as well as soaking up all that the island has to offer.
 
Thanks a lot gents, and absolute pleasure to have made your acquaintance.

I made an unusual foray South of the border last Thursday, to join Paul and Warren in a march around the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. They were done in an anti-clockwise romp, starting and finishing at the lovely Horton-in-Ribblesdale, in nigh on perfect weather. It was sunny all day, but with a cooling Southerly wind, and the driest of conditions underfoot.

We set off at 07:15, and were soon on the summit of Pen-y-ghent, as the footpaths in this area are fabulous, especially in the dry, so progress is swift. 12 hours is the benchmark time, and one required to be invited to join the Y3P club, but we were aiming for 8. This is possible if you keep a decent pace, don't rest too much, and have good conditions, but does require a fair old pace. Warren and Paul have long legs and quite a stride, whereas I have short legs, so on the flatter sections I was all but jogging to keep up with them. I prefer the ascents, and enjoyed these immensely as I sweated up them.

We cut across Horton Moor on the older Y3P route, as it was so dry the bog caused us no issues, and met Mark at Ribblehead, who had brought a water top-up, which was most welcome. He has done the round before, so was just joining us for a section. After a photo and a discussion on the route, we then traipsed Eastwards on the path which brings you up Whernside from the East, much to my chagrin - As mentioned above, I prefer a more direct, steeper route, and after checking it on my mapping software later, we would have saved ourselves 2.5k and 30 minutes had we done so, quite a bit when you are doing such a tramp! Ah well, it was group decision, so I had to concede to the guys' local experience at the time, but grrrrr....... ;)

We flew down the path to Chapel-le-Dale, but I started to suffer from jogger's nipple, and we had to allow me the time to apply some rather inelegant dressings to prevent this very inconvenient complaint. Most sore! It was then into my element, with a climb up the steep path to Ingleborough, where we completed the ascents.

We bade farewell to Mark at Simon Fell as he went back to his car, and we walked SE on a rather rougher path towards Horton. I ran out of water as we descended, but we maintained a sharp pace right until the village, despite our sore feet and tired legs. We came in in a respectable 7hrs and 20mins. It would of course have been 6hrs and 50 mins had we gone my way, but....... ;)

A great day out in fantastic weather. Well done to my partners Paul, Warren and Mark.

A fabulous few days working In Assynt and Coigach for Steven Fallon Mountain Guides. Full blog at www.stevenfallon.co.uk/blog

A beautiful but windy weekend working for Steven Fallon Mountain Guides on the Isle of Rum this weekend. Full blog at www.stevenfallon.co.uk/blog

​One of the embarrassing things about the fact I spend so much time up North amongst our wonderful mountain scenery is that I don't always know the wee gems on my own doorstep. So when I got an Email from Kate from Canada to visit the Devil's (Deil's) Pulpit at Finnich Glen, I had to look it up to find it! It has been featured in Outlander I believe, as well as the film The Eagle, and is a deep sandstone gorge running with dark peaty water, close to the Glengoyne distillery near Killearn. The eponymous pulpit is often mistakenly thought to be the overhang as you descend, but is in fact the sandstone stump in the central cavern area, made accessible by the laird of Killearn in 1861 by the construction of some now dilapidated and exceptionally slippery steps.
 
I knew Kate was going to be game and able for the rest of the day as she immediately took her shoes and socks off and paddled out to the pulpit, with me gingerly teetering behind in my boots.....years of soaking wet cold feet have made me soft eh!? We took some pictures, and then clambered back up the steps to set off to our next objective, Ben Venue.
 
But wait. The forecast was OK, and the reality even better. Warmer weather was on its way, and despite the cold, brisk wind, conditions were good for something a little more challenging. So we quickly decided on Ben Lomond, from Rowardennan, but by the much quieter and scenic Ptarmigan path.
 
We parked up after a nice drive along East Loch Lomondside, and off we went, me blethering as usual, so much so that I missed the wee turn off, and had to backtrack a few metres. Doh! I blame it not being on the 1:50k map, (he said weakly ;) The path is excellent, and you really can see the effect of the money coming in from the National Park status, with improved drainage and much reduced erosion. The only problem from Kate's point of view was that they have installed steps occasionally, and she considered this cheating....... You've still gotta go up though lass!
 
We took a few breaks as we made our way leisurely upwards, chatting to those on descent, and taking in the ever-widening views of the silvery Loch Lomond and the surrounding hills. The Cobbler and the Arrochar Alps were particularly splendid today in the defined light, and the clarity meant we could make out all manner of distant hills, as well as the Firths of Forth and Clyde, always satisfying.
 
Eventually, after some minor scrambling in the fresh breeze, we popped out onto the summit, right at the trig point, where we triumphantly high-fived and snapped some pics. Given the popularity of Ben Lomond, we were lucky to have the summit to ourselves, and lingered a moment before striking off down the busier standard path, where we entertained ourselves with discussions about Scottish and World politics, history and religion, which took us pretty much to the bottom!
 
A really good day out in fresh but improving Spring weather. Always nice to keep out of the waterproofs for the day, and my rosy glow as I type this indicated the presence of the sun. Thanks very much to Kate and her choice of routes, and for her great company. One munro down, 281 to go! ;)

Just back from a splendid four days with some great folks in the Fisherfield Forest, a.k.a. The Great Wilderness, working for Steven Fallon Mountain Guides. See www.stevenfallon.co.uk/blog for full blog

I have been very busy recently, on the hill in both lovely dry conditions and horrendous, wet, gale-ridden weather. One such day was Tuesday, when 42 gazillion gallons of rain was poured on Lochaber, (well, maybe I exaggerate....about 30 squillion then), and my clients and I got a right royal soaking. Well, we would have done if we hadn't been in the Knoydart ranger's Landrover, but that's another story. The main issue is not usually the rain, but the wind, and that was to be the problem on Wednesday.

Wednesday I had planned to meet my pal Caroline, whom I used to walk a lot with, but in recent times we have not been able to coincide diaries. The plan was to do the Corryhully Horseshoe, and the munros of Sgurr nan Coireachan and Sgurr Thuilm, a splendid high ridge walk with super views. Of course, there would have been some views between the squalls, but it was the prospect of a day battling a 'mean' wind speed of 45mph, with 60mph gusts that dampened my ardour. So what do do? We need shelter from the Westerly, and a route that isn't too long, as both of us had to be back South that evening.

The Zigzags on Gearr Aonach. Perfect. An utterly improbable route up and around the middle buttress of the three that make up the Three Sisters of Glencoe. It's a scramble in places, Grade 1, with a nice little Grade 2 move as the crux, and the sections are joined by a rubbly path that weaves its way up the buttress most deviously, eventually depositing you out on the nose of the ridge, and onward to Stob Coire nan Lochan. The rock can be slippery in the wet, but that just added interest.

We did get the shelter as I predicted, and even managed a couple of snack stops between the showers. It was a waterproofs on/off day, but is IS spring in Scotland after all. We both really enjoyed the route, and descended happily to a cup of tea in my van before wending our merry ways Southwards. A wee cracker of a route, and one which has saved the day many a time. 
 

The fabulous run of dry weather continues, even if it isn't as warm and sunny as down in Englandshire! ;) I was working for Steven Fallon Mountain Guides on the Black Mount this weekend, and we had a ball. See www.stevenfallon.co.uk/blog for my full write-up.