Cam Crag Ridge Scramble

Sat 17 Apr 21
Our mountaineering club were having a Saturday meet to do Cam Crag Ridge in Langstrathdale.  I normally work Saturdays but have wanted to do this classic ridge for a long time now and decided that, as I’m still a quite cowardly scrambler, it would be best to do it in expert company rather than on my own!  I was glad I did…

Liathach Traverse

Wed 12 Oct 2016

The day after my Ghuibhais walk (previous post), I joined another Steve Fallon Group walk – this time on my erstwhile ‘bete noire’ – Liathach! Would my chest hold out for such a steep and hard climb? Would I freak out in a total funk like last time? it’s a pretty fearsome beast…

Photo R Wood

Ben Nevis Ledge Route & CMD

Mon 4 July 2016
This was another day out organised with Steve Fallon, although he wasn’t doing the guiding this time…

At the start of the year, feeling a bit of a daredevil, I booked up with Steve Fallon to do several ambitious scrambling routes in the Scottish mountains. The first was my Forcan Ridge trip in June – this was the second and there is one more to come.

Bruach na Frithe North Ridge

Tue 24 May 2016
This was day three of our climbing club’s Glenbrittle Memorial Hut meet and I was starting to learn… Learn to climb better? no… learn to scramble better? nope… I was starting to learn that no-one was going to ask me to accompany them on anything being done by the various members of the club. Time to take a different tack…

Forcan Ridge with Steve Fallon

Sat 4 June 2016
For ages I’d debated and stressed about the best way to approach the gnarly Munro Top of Sgurr nan Forcan – I was starting to think it was going to be my hardest top…

Glen Achall Gorge Scramble, Ullapool

On one of my days off around Ullapool this summer, where the weather wasn’t really suitable for the higher hills, I took to my usual favourite glen – Glen Achall. This can be used as a long route to Seana Braigh but I just cycle to the end of the landrover track and back – about 8 miles each way. This time, on the way back, I had a look at a gorge scramble I’d been eyeing for a while…

Am Basteir – The Executioner!

Wed 28 August 2013

The day before we were to do Am Basteir, Richard wrecked his knee – it would just be me and Jonah the guide then… Despite the fact that I’d done the In Pinn without any difficulties on the Sunday, the weather was more dubious for this one and I wouldn’t be on the rope as much so I was again very nervous the night before.

The Inaccessible Pinnacle – Part 2

Part 1 of this report left you hanging above the scary Inaccessible Pinnacle (or In Pinn) just before I had to tackle it. I’d put my rock boots on and had a little rest – now the time had come to head down the steep slope to tackle my rock climb of around 150 feet up the steep, very narrow and exposed east ridge…

Coire a’ Ghrunnda Munros (Sgurrs nan Eag & Dubh Mor)

Wed 8 May 2013

Due to the weather forecast for the Wednesday predicting quite high winds (which then didn’t hit us until late in the day), the decision was made on Tuesday evening to make our Wednesday’s objective Sgurr Dubh Mor via Coire a’ Ghrunnda (instead of Am Basteir) – we also hoped to add the other Munro of Sgurr nan Eag if there was time and we felt able. After yesterday’s performance, I wasn’t sure whether we were able – we both seemed very unfit… I’d had a restful night though as I believed these Munros were very straightforward and was seeing it as virtually a day-off… how wrong I can be I was soon to find out!

Very Sgurry nan Gillean

Tue 7 May 2013

Due to the weather being pretty dire in Scotland for the first half of the year, with snow most days and very high winds, the week I’d booked with a guide to do more of the Cuillin Munros on Skye was my first Munroing of the year. In fact, due to my broken bones last year, it was exactly a year since my last Munro so starting with Sgurr nan Gillean was pretty ambitious really! I’d only managed to do hillwalking in either the Lakes or the Dales – both very easy walking and, as I said in my last post, my preparatory outdoor climb had fallen through at the last minute so, consequently, I was feeling very unprepared indeed…