LOCHNAGAR

The Northern Corrie of Lochnagar

Warm sun and Autumn colours on the walk in to Lochnagar

The cliffs of Lochnagar from the West ridge

High altitude Field Mouse

West Buttress Lochnagar

Cliffs of Lochnagar

The many cliffs and gullies of Lochnagar

No signs of  settled weather anytime soon, unfortunately. We usually get a two or three day spell of fine weather in Autumn but we are still in a cycle of Atlantic lows across the Scottish Highlands. Sunday was looking half decent in the Eastern Highlands so Ian and I headed in that direction in hope of sunshine on Lochnagar. This is a fine mountain  and one I have not been on for at least 10 years. Like much of the Cairngorm mountains it has a big plateau with huge cliffs which have a wealth of  hard winter climbing routes. One of the best mountain in The Cairngorms. We had a late morning start in lovely warm sunshine and it was looking hopeful for a clear, sunny day with little wind. By the time we reached the bealach below Meikle Pap the cloud had come across the tops and plateau . Most folk who walk up Lochnagar head up the well constructed 'Ladder' path, the easiest, most straightforward route in summer with little navigation required. There is an amazing line of cairns higher up on the plateau (is there really a need for so many cairns on a obvious path?). We avoided the crowds on this route and headed down to Lochnagar (The name given to the mountain from this loch that sits below the cliffs). You get fine views from here and we were out of the wind. There is a nice, pathless route up the West ridge of the mountain to the summit plateau from here. Great views into the corrie. All the way up we could hear the stags roaring down below. We reached the plateau and into cloud for the final stroll to the Munro summit, Cac Carn Beag. Despite the claggy weather on top we had atmospheric views of the cliffs plunging down the corrie.  I forgot how easy a day this hill is in summer conditions. A bit different in winter!

SUMMITEER GLOW WORM 800 SLEEPIG BAG REVIEW

The Summiteer Glow Worm 800

Since March 2017 I have been testing out a sleeping bag by a new company called Summiteer. Summiteer are based in Kendal with an ethos of quality mountain equipment at affordable prices. They first started out in 2016 with a range of down sleeping bags. This year they have expanded their production with a line of quality rucksacks and tents in addition to the sleeping bags.

I was given the Glow Worm 800 sleeping bag to test. The ethically sourced goose down has a fill power of 800. Aimed for winter use or for those folk who require a warmer bag in Autumn. It has a temperature rating at  Extreme: -15ºc, Lower Comfort -10c and comfort -5c.  The weight is 1.3kg (excluding the stuff sack). The outer is made of 440T ripstop nylon.

I’ve used the bag in a wide variety of temperatures and conditions including Cairngorm snow hole trips and a very wet and cold Iceland trek during May. It’s a very versatile bag and copes well in milder temperatures too. I’ve slept in it in Spring/Summer high camps in the Scottish mountains.

There are some really well thought out details. The baffles around the neck and face are very comfortable and cosy. The zipper is smooth and has never snagged once. I really like the stuff sack, it’s simple and easy to compress down. Great quality shines through.

For me the weight and compact size make it a great choice for chilly weather right up to winter use.

www.summiteerequipment.com

Snow hole, March

 

High camp, Braeriach, April

Cosy after a very wet day in Iceland

AFTERTHOUGHT ARETE

Gavin, starting up Afterthought Arete

Looking down the arete, Sheltersone Crag beyond

Lovely rock, Afterthought Arete

Warming up along the Fiacaill Ridge

Loch Avon

Coire an t-Sneachda

Rime Ice above 1000m

On the Afterthought Arete

Hells Lum Crag

Splendid Shelterstone Crag

Last nights Harvest Moon

It's been a fair few years since I was last on Afterthought Arete. A wonderful 3 star easy rock climb on the Stag Rocks crag. I met up with Gavin who was up for a rock climbing day. Gavin his half way through his Masters Degree in Outdoor Pursuits so he was looking forward to a fun day out. This Moderate graded climb is in a stunningly beautiful and remote area of the Cairngorms. The weather forecast was for a dry and sunny day, light winds. Perfect. We warmed up by heading over the Fiacaill Choire Sneachda ridge. There was some rime ice above1000m in the Northern Corries this morning. The skies had cleared overnight and low temperatures. Stag Rocks is on a south facing aspect so we were looking forward to some warm rock and sunshine. We saw no one all day apart from two guys who we met exactly at the same time at the foot of the climb! Afterthought Arete is a lovely ridg line with a definite arete half way up. A stunning line. Brilliant day out, easy peasy climbing for Gavin who climbs Grade VI routes in winter. Back to another wet day tomorrow but drier on Sunday. Good to get the good days inbetween the miserable weather days!

COLD, BUT NO SNOW

Pink footed geese, Coire an Lochain

Geese in flight

Feithe Buidhe and Hells Lum Crag

High winds over Northerrn Corries this morning

Loch Avon, Feith Buidhe

Feithe Buidhe waterfall

A windy day in The Cairngorms but some nice dry and sunny conditions. Temperatures below average for this time of year, no snow lying on high ground, not one single flake. It was lovely and quiet on the hills. Took a wander over to The Loch Avon basin. It was gusting around 50mph on the plateau but down beside the Feith Buidhe it was calm and very pleasant. There is some lovely and remote scrambling to be had on the slabs beside the Feithe Buidhe. It's a lovely spot and you're likely to see no one. The best of the granite slabs for scrambling are in the middle of the rocky area but if you go over toward the Feithe Buidhe (the stream flowing from the plateau to Loch Avon) it's quite atmospheric and beautiful. You get to see the we waterfall which plunges down from the plateau. The rocks here have more lichen and mosses growing on them so care needs to be taken. A fab place.

FISHERFIELD FOREST WEEKEND

On the NW ridge of A' Mhaighdean

If you were keeping an eye on the weather forecasts last week and contemplating a backpacking trip in the North West Highlands you may have thought twice about that idea. That's exactly what Karen and I were doing from Tuesday onwards. With constant weather systems quickly moving in from the Atlantic it was a case of good weather one day, wet and windy the next. So a two night camping trip wasn't looking too hopeful. But we headed up north anyway!

Rainbow over Fionn Loch

The Fisherfield Forest up in the North West of Scotland is an area of wonderful remote mountains. There are five Munro summits among other lower, but equally impressive hills, many miles from a public road. The two main access points are Corrie Hallie near Dundonnell on Little Loch Broom or Poolewe on the west coast near Gairloch. Most folk 'bagging' their Munros usually walk in from Corrie Hallie and use the bothy at Shenavall. This makes it an easier option to walk them all in one day. I prefer to enjoy savouring the area at a more leisurely pace and climbing the hills via  the more interesting, exciting and scenic routes. We walked in from Poolewe with the aim of scrambling on the fabulous NW ridge of A' Mhaighdean.

Karen swimming below Beinn Airigh Charr

Before we arrived at our camp spot we passed many beautiful wee lochans on the fine trail that heads to Carnmore. As well as bagging a new Munro for Karen, it was an opportunity for her to go swimming in some remote and scenic lochans. Despite the weather forecast predicting rain by the afternoon we enjoyed some fine, long sunny spells and it was relatively warm for a swim or two.

The mountains of the Fisherfield Forest and Fionn Loch

It takes around 4 hours from Poolewe to Carnmore (not including stops for swimming) at the head of Fionn Loch. There are some great places for a wild camp around here. The estate owners offer walkers and climbers the option of staying in a camping barn at Carnmore. We set up camp beside Fionn Loch with lovely views out to the west. This time of year is the rutting season for the Red Deer. Our two night stay was accompanied by the wonderful soundtrack of the stags roaring away. They seemed to be right outside our tent, maybe they were during the night!

Our campsite for two nights

5 star views from our tent

The mountain we came to climb was A' Mhaighdean (The Maiden). This is widely regarded as the remotest Munro, however, there are a few contenders for this if you take underfoot terrain as well as distance to the summit into consideration. You can decide for yourself! As well as being remote, it is stunningly beautiful. For me the finest way to gain the summit is via the NW ridge from Carnmore. This pathless ridge also has some sections of scrambling which can be avoided but you miss all the fun! The final 100m to the summit plateau requires a wee steep down climb and bypasses two fine Torridonian sandstone pinnacles which are spectacular. Great views of An Teallach from here.

Dubh Loch , Fionn Loch & Beinn Airigh Charr from the foot of the ridge

The NW ridge of A' Mhaighdean (left skyline)

Scrambling along the ridge, Dubh Loch below

A distant An Teallach from the Pinnacles

The views from the summit of A' Mhaighdean are just stunning, particularly out to the West. It's a view of loch and mountain splendour. We were so lucky to get a fine day. Despite the weather forecast looking doubtful for most of Friday and Saturday, we had a glorious day. Not a single drop of rain!

The view from A' Mhaighdean's summit

We descended via the 'normal' route between the adjacent Munro of Ruadh Stac Mor. Karen fancied a swim on the way down. Spoilt for choice in this area! We headed over to Lochan Feith Mhic Illean ("bloody freezing") and then at Dubh Loch ("less freezing"). I was delighted to get some stunning light for photography.

Dubh Loch

Spot the swimmer in Dubh Loch

Skies clearing

Beinn Dearg Mhor & An Teallach

Another beautiful sunset on Saturday evening. The winds died down and it was quite warm for the last day of September. A brilliant weekend. We packed up sharpish on Sunday and it was a quick march back to Poolewe before the winds and rain really did arrive, timed to perfection!

Carnmore Crag

Sunset on Fionn Loch

GARBH COIRE MOR, BRAERIACH. SOMETIMES DAYS DON'T GO QUITE LIKE YOU PLANNED

Looked fine this morning

Garbh Coire and Ben Macdui (somewhere)

Steep, rough route out of coire

Garbh Coire Bothy and waterfall

It's not called the rough coire for nothing

Autumn colours

High up on Braeriach

There are some days out in the mountains that just don't go the way you had planned. One of those days was today! The weather forecast looked reasonable, ie we may get some nice views and some sun. I took a wander into the Garbh Coire Mor on Braeriach. It's been a few years since I last walked up here, right to the base of the crags. This is arguably one of the most remote, wildest and highest places in the British Isles. Many miles from a public road, even with a bike up to the start of the Lairig Ghru it is a long way into this magnificent coire. There was sunshine this morning on the ride through the forest. This was short lived though. A bank of thick, low cloud was looking straight at me in the Lairig Ghru. Still I pressed on in hope of better weather. It takes a few hours to get to the entrance of the Garbh Coire on a reasonable path. From the bothy onwards it's pathles and wild. A wonderful place of solitude and no mobile phone signal. One of the reasons to explore in the coire today was to get a final glimpse of  one of just two final snow patches to survive this year. One on Aonach Beag and the other lies here under Braeriachs' massive plateau in Garbh Coire Mor. The Sphinx, has it is named, is now just a tiny patch. Usually much bigger but with the poor winter it looks like it will soon be melted away. This patch of old snow has only disappeared a few times in the last couple of hundred years. The cloud was down and I spent a fair while wandering about looking for it in the clag. No sign so maybe I was just in the wrong area. I then decided on an 'adventerous route out of the coire and  onto the Braeraich plateau. This was certainly an adventurous route. Boulders, steep ground and some scrambling on mossy rocks, I backed off and decided on a long march back out the way I walked in. The Lairig Ghru path during daylight hours is bad enough (rough-bouldery) so even worse in the dark! Of course I carry two torches and spare batteries all year round in my rucsack. 12 hours later I finally arrived home. Worse of all I missed my dinner! A good day out! I'm sure that tiny patch of snow is still sitting there, for now.