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.
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.
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