Tuesday 17 March 2009 - Spring comes to Torridon - Beinn Dearg

"It's the first time I've seen the mountains for over a week" said our neighbour, admiring the view across the bay to Beinn Alligin. The mountain had been bathed in pink light as the sun rose this morning, and it remained sunlit all day.

Dave S went off to bag Beinn Eighe, whilst the rest off us headed up Coire Mhic Nobuil towards Beinn Dearg. The waterfalls below Alligin were impressive but the high contrast between sun and shade didn't produce a satisfactory image. So here's a rare photo of Dianne, shortly before she left us for her unexpectedly (due to a misunderstanding) low level walk back to Annat via the Ling Hut.

Whilst Di continued on the low level path. Dave O, Julie and I headed on up the good path to Bealach a' Chomhla before attacking the steep west ridge of Beinn Dearg.

A ptarmigan tried to chat to us...

"Hrrh, hrragh" - "I'm Harold" he chirped.

T-shirts had been in order lower down, but up at the summit of Beinn Dearg, reached after lunch in a sheltered spot on the ridge, an extra layer was welcome. It had taken nearly four hours.

On the final stretch to the first summit of Beinn Dearg, with Beinn Alligin behind

The views in all directions were magnificent, with the Cuillins on Skye, and Clisham on Harris, shining in the sun in the distance.

The Cuillins are about 60 km away!

It's quite a long ridge - about 4km - with some rock steps that challenged Julie's short stature. She now has bruised knees and is accepting Dave O's herbal remedies - we hope she survives his ministrations.

On the ridge, with Liathach beyond

Julie crashes down one of the rock steps

Looking back at the steep rock steps - they come directly down the steep prow (unlikely but true)

On the north side of the ridge the ice on Loch a' Choire Mhoir was breaking into a white mosaic.

At the far end of the ridge we paused for some time at Carn na Feòla to admire the twin Corbetts of Baosbheinn and Beinn an Eòin.


The descent from Carn na Feòla was steep, but sported excellent views of Liathach and had no difficulties, apart for Dave who marched purposefully across the path and to the wrong side of the river.

It was a pleasant amble back to the car park, past a young but very dead deer (we also saw lots of live specimens today) and then encountering the first people we have seen this week, a painter near the waterfalls and a young couple on a slow stroll.

The 16km walk took us 8 hours including 1 hour of stops - a slow amble in lovely spring weather. The route, shown below, involved about 1167 metres ascent and would have taken Naismith 5 hours or so.


Reunited at Annat Lodge we enjoyed lamb tagine and other goodies before flaking out in the intense heat of the living room.

Monday 16 March 2009 - A Gnarly Corbett - An Ruadh-stac

Overnight rain was slow to clear, but whilst Dave S waited until after lunch to nip up and down Slioch (and yes, I always thought that was a full day's outing), Julie, Dave O and I set off from the cottage at 10am.

Julie and Dave set off up towards Lochan Domhain on the Coulags path

Di looked on as we headed along the good path towards Coulags, taking care not to step on the frogs that are just starting to spawn. A dipper hunted by Lochan Domhain's outflow. The stepping stones were well submerged - it would be a wet crossing. Dave headed north to where the river was wider and easier. Julie and I looked at our maps. There was no need to cross here - we could yomp to where our path re-crossed the river.

Dave eventually rejoined us but missed a tea and CCS stop. The rain and wind strengthened. Red deer scooted away from our lunch spot at 500 metres. Then it was up to Bealach a' Choire Ghairbh, where we left the good path in favour of the steep slopes of An Ruadh-stac - at 892 metres our target for the day. Smooth steep rock, slippery in the wet, made for slow progress. Then, after a shallower incline, the terrain turned to loose broken steep rock. This made for slow progress.

After a false summit and 4.5 hours, at 2.30pm, we finally reached the lofty summit of this gnarly Corbett. It was still misty.

Dave and Julie - summiteers

Only the summit was in cloud and the route off was easy to find. On a dry day the rock would be easy and grippy, but in the damp care was needed to avoid dangerous slips.

A short cut avoided the bealach and took us back to the excellent stalkers path. As forecast, the weather was clearing, and looking back we had good views of our mountain.

An Ruadh-stac - the route of ascent is along the skyline from almost the very left of the image

Further down we passed the stepping stones where the stalkers path crosses the outflow from Lochan Domhain. It was several inches lower than when we ascended, but we still took evasive action.

Maol Chean-dearg and the stepping stones

On the descent the weather improved and we got some views, including sunset over Loch Torridon. The weather had finally acknowledged the presence of Dave O and me.

Upper Loch Torridon, with Beinn Alligin in cloud

We were back at the cottage at 6.15, after which my kitchen staff rustled up a fine Chicken Chardonnay meal whilst I whisked some eggs ineffectually - must really try to learn how to do this!

Here's today's route - 21km, 1093 metres ascent, taking 8 hours 15 minutes, including about 45 minutes of breaks. Naismith would have taken 6 hours.

Sunday 15 March 2009 - A Long Drive to find some Cloud

0800 - Leave the Snake Inn after fond goodbyes to the TGO Challenge crowd.

0845 - Timperley - unload/reload.

0945 - Chauffeur No 1 provides a lift to Bolton services before returning to dry tent etc, domestic chores, fund raising for future trips etc.

1015 - leave Bolton services with Chauffeur No 2 (Dave) and snow shoes etc.

1400 - Lunch and supplies at Stirling, and a muddle with Tesco's car park (we never did find the entrance).

1700 - Blasting through Inverness, the sunglasses have been employed all day, and the sun blinds us as we turn west.

A message from Julie, in Torridon, announces "Just returned from our wet walk".

Pass an informative sign that appears to announce "High risk of beer on road" - make note to book eye test.

Approaching Achnasheen, cloud cover increases, with mizzle in the air. But don't be dismayed - Dave and Martin, purveyors of good weather, are approaching, to bring respite to the residents of Torridon.

1810 - arrive safely at Annat Lodge, Torridon, to find Julie and Di drying out after their wet walk, with another Dave honing his skills in the darting room.

Enjoy a leisurely evening with fine food after our 430 mile, 8.5 hour drive.

But the snow shoes are greeted with derision - "there's no snow" says Julie "you should have brought a canoe instead".

It appears they had trouble with a river today.

Note: sadly this 500th posting of the 'Postcard' has no image*. So it's a landmark without much celebration. There's simply not a strong enough signal here to transmit images. So please bear with me for the next week or so - images will be added later.

*Yes it has - the daffs outside Annat Lodge now provide a header...

Friday 13 to Sunday 15 March 2009 - TGO Spring reunion at Snake Inn

It was a select crowd that gathered at the Snake Inn on Friday evening, to reminisce and enjoy a conservative amount of ale in front of the fire. Outside, tents were pitched on the grassy spaces around the car park and campervans vied with each other for the flattest locations.

Friday night was blustery and wet at times, but we were comfortable in the 'luxury tent' with pillows and thermarests - no backpacking this weekend.

Saturday morning dawned dry, but windy and gradually the car park filled with people anticipating a walk. Richard had organised two buses to transport around 30 of us to Edale and the journey passed quickly with challenge banter on board.

The group milled, with no-one wanting to act as 'leader', so it was a few minutes before the first bravely forged ahead on the nicely paved Pennine Way, followed by a steady crocodile of people. The wind blew strongly, making conversation tricky.

Jacob's ladder strung us out and warmed us up, opening up views behind.

With most of the height gained onto the Kinder plateau, it was time for a break, on the lee side of a large rock outcrop. Boxes of caramel shortbread were distributed, with few refusals!

The route then continued north around the edge, passing the trig point on Kinder Low, with views opening out to Kinder reservoir above Hayfield. The blustery wind played with my limbs, giving me the appearance of a drunk staggering along the path. Kinder Downfall provided a distraction because the water was failing to make it downwards, but being blown back up in clouds. Quite a sight!

The only rain of the day was here! A quick dash across the river bed was required to avoid a soaking. More rock outcrops provided a shelter for lunch, where an impromptu competition was held - who had the oldest Dark Peak map? The prices gave the game away because whilst one had cost £2.95, the clear winner was the £1.10 version! While some grumbled that

they had not had time to have pudding, there appeared sufficient time for Alan to have a post-lunch nap....

At the path junction with Ashop Clough, a few more hardy souls continued to Mill Hill and followed the paved path over the top to the Snake Road, continuing down Doctor's gate culvert and along the river in the woods. Others descended down Ashop Clough, on a slightly more direct route.

Tea was in order at the Snake Inn and relaxation before dinner. Richard had succeeded in bringing together 48 challengers and the Inn provided a good meal over which much conversation flowed.

An Evening Walk, This Day in 2006, and The Week Ahead

This day in 2006....Happy Days are here again!

That's really because I don't have any images from Wednesday evening, when Andrew joined Sue and I for one of our 'Pitch Black' strolls.

Actually, it was pretty light - there was a full moon after all - and we enjoyed the stroll down the Macclesfield Canal from High Lane to Marple, then back to the Bull's Head via the Middlewood Way.

A good 10km in less than 2 hours, back in time for a welcome pint and a puzzled look at the football on TV, with an Italian commentary.

I'm very short of time now so have to be brief - we are just off to enjoy a TGO Challenge session at the Snake Inn, then I'm in Torridon until next Saturday, so there will be very little by way of imagery on these pages for the next week, possibly very little at all!

Ciau for now

Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March 2009 - Julie's 40th Birthday Weekend in the Lake District (Part 3 - a Lakeland Gem)

Sunday: 

The cloud was right down, and we needed a short day.  A quick look at the map revealed Aira Force as a suitable destination.  The line of the path from Priest's Crag back to the Force looked particularly appealing.

So it was that after a most sociable Saturday evening Sue and I said our goodbyes and set off to Aira Force with Andrew.  The clouds soon lifted and we got a good view across to St Sunday Crag.

The path down to the Force on our line of approach was under repair, so we crossed above the raging torrent.

A pleasant path saw us to Alcat Row, past idyllic lakeland cottages, and down a quiet lane to Lowthwaite.

Sleety showers bombarded us from time to time.

The snow looked pristine on this narrow winding lane.

Well, almost pristine...

This road section was not at all unpleasant, the local robins being particularly chatty.

Below Priest's Crag an obvious path wound ahead into the distance.  After a few initial damp bits it matured into the delightful trail that I had been hoping for.  As we wandered on through Swinburn's Park, it was clear that we were the only people here today - we disturbed quite a few red deer, and watched them as we paused for lunch in the sun below a huge budding tree.

Further on we joined a more walked and recently maintained path, but we only saw a handful of people all day...

...though there was evidence of previous visitors!

The final section around the south side of Gowbarrow Park was a magnificent stroll.  It's such a pleasure to discover a new path of such high quality in every respect, such as this one.

We reached a superb viewpoint before ambling back down to the car park (nearby layby in our case) at Aira Force.  This confirmed the wisdom of our decision to stay low today, as we looked up to the cloud laden hills of central Lakeland.

...and admired the sunlight on Ullswater.

Today's route, which I highly recommend for an easy half day's stroll, is outlined below - 15km with 590 metres ascent - allow 4 hours including breaks.

Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March 2009 - Julie's 40th Birthday Weekend in the Lake District (Part 2)

Saturday:

Helvellyn Youth Hostel is a suitable venue for a large group.  Julie has Lots of Friends, and we were all satisfactorily housed in the hostel's many rooms.  Andrew hit the jackpot though - his minor nocturnal nasal murmurs having gained sufficient legend to warrant him a rare single room, whilst the rest of us were billeted in groups of 2, 4 or 6.

Breakfast was sufficient, if dull and tasteless (apart from the baked beans) and singularly lacking in bacon.  This is the downside of manned hostels as opposed to 'RentaHostel', where the pleasures of self-catering can be an indulgence.

Julie had planned a walk - distributed to all by email - but an injury prevented her attendance on her own birthday walk!

So we milled about for a while...

It was probably a good idea for the 54 of us to set off in small groups, as you can possibly detect potential pace discrepancies from the above image.

Rain had been forecast, but it started fine, if cloudy, and we drifted off towards Glenridding Common and a selection of routes up Helvellyn.  The view back down the valley was fairly benign.

As we climbed up towards Whiteside Bank the switchback track slowly rose above the snow line and sported chilly views across to Helvellyn, whose summit remained obdurately in cloud.

Approaching the 830 metre col the weather looked ominous, but here it was calm and sunny, so we lingered a while with Pam and Paul, whilst Andrew insisted he was not fit enough for Helvellyn and would return via Raise and Sticks Pass or beyond.

The four of us, Sue, Pam, Paul and me, continued on up to the summit via the easy Lower Man ridge, on which we met Graham and Tove, with crampon clad Dave and GS in tow, having shed Keith and Carol, who had not fancied the steepness of their Swirral Edge route.

No one else was wearing crampons today; the snow was very soft and in places quite slushy.  Arriving at the summit at midday, after our leisurely 2½ hour stroll, it was a bit breezy.  In fact, on the way up Pam (2nd from right below) had been blown over, to be saved by Sue's walking pole, which had now assumed the shape of a banana.

There were four people striding towards the summit from the opposite direction, so Sue's picture is of Chris, Alys, Johnny, Rupert, Paul, Pam and me.  The Ghosts of Helvellyn were pottering about nearby.

By now it was somewhat inclement, so cameras were stashed for the rest of the day.  The four of us battled on over Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike in pretty grim conditions, to descend to just above Grizedale Tarn by 1pm.  Lunch time.  Weird Darren, had he been here, may have produced a stove.  We had convenient flasks.  "Shall we shelter?" I asked.  "Oooh, that would be good" came the reply, in unison.  So we lunched 'indoors' in the calm and warmth, with sleety rain lashing down outside, of a rarely used little blue shelter I carry for such occasions.

After 20 minutes or so the condensation within the shelter produces its own showery microclimate, but those minutes are really valuable, so it was a refreshed and fortified quartet who set off down Grizedale for the long walk back to the hostel.

The weather did improve as we descended, but the rain persisted and actually worsened after we arrived back at base at 4pm.

Here's our (well, Julie's planned route which only the four of us out of her 54 guests managed to complete!) route - 18km, 1100 metres ascent, taking us around 6½ hours, including over 30 minutes of breaks, on not the easiest of days.

Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March 2009 - Julie's 40th Birthday Weekend in the Lake District (Part 1)

Friday:

A start from home after lunch saw Sue and me up at Beetham by 3pm for a short walk to Holme and back.

In surprisingly sunny weather - despite dire warnings from a local - we set off in good humour towards Pye's Bridge Farm. The local farmer had done his best to foil us by ploughing up the footpath, which once past the small building after leaving the A6 heads up the ploughed field to the right of a telegraph pole and on to a stile in the middle of a hedge.

Predictions of mud were happily exaggerated, and we cheerfully passed these two denizens of the soft turf.Approaching the west coast main line railway we passed a small pond with a flock of lapwings, ducks and swans in residence.

A huge osprey hovered frighteningly above us....
Gotcha?

It's a sunlit buzzard, but it looked very big and nearly fooled us.

The village of Holme was reached through more fields, but as it was 4pm and we had some distance to travel we regrettably passed by the Smithy Inn. After negotiating a minor displacement (you may just spot it on the route shown below), we resolved Sue's hypoglycaemia by a visit to the Post Office, and though my cholesterol levels won't have benefited from a Mars bar, I decided one was necessary to avoid the risk of Sue's condition...

A tree creeper flitted up a slender tree trunk and the hedgerows were lined with Lesser Celandine.The path to Fell End Farm was rather muddy, but we squeezed the wrong side of a gatepost to avoid the ankle deep slurry.

Sue found a small furry friend.
Beyond the farm, woodland paths leading back towards Beetham sported piles of moss covered logs.
Emerging from the wood, we strolled through fields beside Beetham Hall, with its ancient ramparts, and snow clad High Street behind, in the gathering murk.
Here's our route - 8km with 100 metres of ascent, taking somewhat less than two hours.
Our journey continued up to Helvellyn Youth Hostel and the assembled throng of Julie's 54 guests, before we strolled down to the Travellers Rest with Andrew for welcome sustenance.

TGO Challenge training in the Vorarlberg - The Movie

I've had another skirmish with Windows Movie Maker....

Not entirely successful or satisfactory, I have to say.  I find the timeline hard to work with and I failed completely to work out how to apply a soundtrack.

It may have been better to add titles to the clips rather than insert them between the images, but never mind.

It'll take you all of 6 minutes to view this experiment, but I won't tell you how long it took me to reduce it to that from 8 minutes.  You may have to speed read some of the captions.

Would a simple upload to Flickr or similar have been better?
The jury's out...

A Crooked, Twisted Tree

This one's just to keep the ball rolling whilst I find time to compose a Vorarlberg video.

In particular it's for Mark, at Beating the Bounds. I know he's an admirer of these trees, and I've been waiting for a while to spot such a magnificently twisted specimen. If it were a person it would surely be condemned to solitary confinement in an Alcatraz-like prison.