Having spent the last week in the Costa Blanca climbing in temperatures of up to 30 degrees, it was a shock to drive back home on Sat. night to the Highlands in freezing temperatures and snow. The next day despite having post holiday chores to do and it being a bit windy I was desperate to get out in the white stuff for the first time this winter.

I chose to do a short walk up Bohuntine Hill in Glen Roy. The snow picked out the parallel road features (which are not roads at all but the remains of ancient beaches formed in glacial lakes). I started near Roy Bridge, a short drive up Glen Roy from a look out and car park which has a good Scottish Natural Heritage information point explaining how the parallel roads were formed. Go to
http://www.snh.org.uk/nnr-scotland/reserve.asp?NNRId=23 to find out more.

There is only 400 meters of ascent uphill to great views back to Leanachan Forest, the Grey Corries and Aonoch Mor. The hill had several parties on it keen to get out but not wanting to climb the higher peaks. Despite warnings from a friendly couple over from Aviemore that there was a sting at the top (beware of snow over unfrozen bog) I got caught! With a boot full of snow melt and mud I did an up and down route in just over 1 ½ hours but if you want to extend the day there is a longer version of the walk in the Pocket Mountain ‘Central Highlands’ guide by Nick Williams. www.pocketmountains.com

Anna

posted by ocuk @ 5:27 PM  0 comments

Sledging with snow down to sea level again on Saturday morning and one of those brilliant, sunny days to enjoy it so we all went sledging! We drove out to Blar a'Chaorainn near the end of the Lunn da Bhra road which is just below 200m above sea level. There were some folk out mountain biking (the West Highland Way from here to Glen Nevis is a superb ride) and walking (the circuit around Meall a'Chaorainn and Mullach na Coirean is fantastic) but we had the sledging to ourselves! Owen, who has just turned three was leading the way but Megan (seven months), Mike and I all had a shot. It doesn't have to be extreme to enjoy the Outdoor Capital at its best! - Louise

posted by ocuk @ 11:56 AM  0 comments

The snow made it to sea level for a while on Friday afternoon and Fort William had its first covering of snow of the winter! The snow in the hills has been building up steadily over the last week and will continue doing so for quite a few days to come. If you are in the hills the ridges and buttresses are going to be the best option just now because the snow in the gullies will be quite avalanche-prone and very heavy going! Good options for mountaineering and climbing routes in these conditions are Dorsal Arête, Curved Ridge, North Buttress, Aonach Eagach, Tower Ridge, Castle Ridge, CMD Arête, N Buttress Stob Ban etc.

I went up Ledge Route on Ben Nevis where the snow was continuously shin deep and was thigh deep in a couple of places. About 30cm is covering the summit plateau and there is a cornice about a metre wide at the top of Number Five Gully. Avalanche debris was sitting at the foot of Number Five Gully where there is often quite a threat from avalanches and there is plenty of firm wind slab around. A little ice has been forming and there is a crusty layer of snow on the rocks underneath today's fresh stuff. There are lots of great objectives to go for - something rocky and not dependent on ice, away from any gullies is best!

Ledge Route is described as a summer scramble here http://www.outdoorcapital.co.uk/activities/day-out.asp?id=52&activId=30&page=Great%20Day%20Out&groupId=1. In winter it is a grade II climb with some exposed sections, a slab low down that can be awkward and is one of the best routes of the grade in Scotland.

Let's hope this fall of snow provides a good base for the rest of the winter. - Mike

posted by ocuk @ 11:45 AM  0 comments

Still no snow on the west coast and not cold enough to rime up any of the crags. However the weather has been nice and I went out for a quick scramble on the ribs of Meall an t'Suidhe, up the right hand one and down the left hand this morning for a quick leg stretcher.

Parking at The Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee, Fort William you walk up the first bit of the mountain track to Ben Nevis. Just after the first big zig-zag you will see two ribs on the south west side of Meall an t'Suidhe directly above the path, split by a stream that is easily identified as it crosses the path. The right hand rib is slightly harder (grade 2 scrambling) and the left one is fairly simple (grade 1). They both offer great scrambling on sound granite in a fabulous situation. The top is at 700m so the round trip can be completed in a morning with a stop in the Inn for lunch!

Glen Nevis is giving us its very own fireworks display this November with all the colours of autumn in full strength. North west winds today and tomorrow should give us some snow ... fingers crossed! - Mike

posted by ocuk @ 4:52 PM  0 comments