I've been into the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve twice before on walking ventures. The first involved a trek up Creag Mhor before descending into Coire Ardair in order to make an ascent of Easy Gully - one of my first grade 1 gullies. The second was intended to be a complete circuit of the Coire Ardair horseshoe but, within 2 hours, we found ourselves … Read More »
Category Archives: Winter Walking
A Very White Ben Macdui
Ben Macdui is the highest mountain in the Cairngorm National Park and the second highest in the UK (after Ben Nevis on the west coast). At an altitude of 1309m, it offers stunning views across the Cairngorms and well beyond. It is therefore slightly surprising that I haven't been lured there before. Starting from Coire Cas car park, I cut across the bottom of both Coire … Read More »
The Start of My Scottish Winter
After the recent cold spell and reports of lots of snow in the Highlands, it was hard to resist a trip north of the boarder. So, with a mixture of excitement and boredom, I faced the seven and a half hour drive up to Aviemore yesterday. Thankfully, I was just in time to grab the last available bed in the Aviemore Bunkhouse, which provided an … Read More »
Gullies in Snowdonia
Ten days into the big freeze, today was my first opportunity to get into the mountains for a personal day in the snow. Not living right next to the North Wales mountains can make it awkward in predicting exactly what the conditions are going to be like. The weather forecast is certainly a help, in terms of how things will develop during the day, but … Read More »
Winter Arrives in Snowdonia
I'm trying to get into the habit of getting out into the hills every Monday for the next couple of months to keep myself current and up to date. The reasons for picking a regular day of the week is two fold. Firstly, I'm much more likely to stick to it if it becomes part of the routine. Secondly, this way I'm much more likely … Read More »
Gullies on the Buachaile
Knowing I had an 7 hour drive home ahead of me to get home, we made an early start to our day on Buachaille Etive Mor. With a short walk in from the road, this is a great place to gain altitude and get in the snow quickly. At lower levels the snow was well consolidated, through freeze thaw, and it was surprising how soon … Read More »
Carn Mor Dearg via Coire Leis
I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to get up Carn Mor Dearg for years, and every time I’ve tried to go up the back of Coire Leis (at the side of Ben Nevis) I’ve had to back off due to the poor snowpack stability. So to do both today was a real treat! We encountered a lot of blue ice at the base of the main … Read More »
A Stroll in the Mamores
After yesterday’s epic, Ally and I planned a shorter day’s walking and headed for the Mamores. Having parked above Kinlochleven, we had intended to go up Na Gruagaichean but, seeing a large Plas y Brenin group heading that way, we rapidly changed plan to get a bit of space from the crowd. Instead, we made our way up Sgurr an Iubhair, whose final ridge to the … Read More »
Aonach Eagach Ridge
Last night was spent travelling up to the Scottish Highlands, ready for a couple of days winter mountaineering. I didn’t arrive till 2.20am, so it was a bit of a shock the system getting up early for a decent day on the hill, but it turned out to be well worth it. I’ve come to spend a few days with Ally who, like me, is gradually … Read More »