Scottish Winter Meets 2016, Onich(MI), and Ullapool (CCC)

I pretty much missed the first one, having arrived in Onich,( fresh from a fine traverse of Ben Cruachan), on Friday, the last night of the MI meet.   Also almost managed to miss Keith, Billy and Alex on Ben Cruachan, over a combination of changes of plan, and lack of a phone signal.  I caught up with them on the way down.   Weather was fine but the snow was soft and tiring.

We had a sociable night in the Inchcree centre, joined by Sandra and Dave and the remaining MI contingent.  I was pretty bushed, so decided not to join the other 8 on the ring of Steall on Saturday, which I thought was a bit ambitious anyway, given the conditions.  Went to climb Buachaille Etive Beg, my last remaining Munroe in Glencoe, only to realise when I got there, that I climbed it last year.  Plan B was to hire a mountain bike at Aonach Mor ( there were none), so it was plan C, coffee and the rugby.  Alas!  Still, the others were soon blown back to Fort William and a congenial evening had by all.

I thought we had a plan to do Ledge Route on Sunday, but my lack of a deodorant must have kicked in, with most preferring to go somewhere else or stay in bed.  Mercifully Sandra took pity on this Johnny no friends, and we had a great day out on this easy*** classic route.  Co-incidentally this was the day the young couple disappeared from their tent behind the CIC hut, but we were unaware of the tragedy about to unfold.  An added bonus was the lift we got from the top car park back to the Hobbit.

 I went on to meet up with eldest son Chris in Aviemore,  in the morning, picking up the line manager at Inverness Airport, and staying with my brother Jimmy and Mairi.  Had an afternoon walk on the Cat’s Back’ a local hill, and the next day we were joined by Chris, in the aptly named Dufftown, to climb an easy Corbett called Ben Riness.  Easy my ****!  We had to abandon it in the most extreme wind I have ever experienced .The zip pocket in the top of my rucsac blew open twice, with the contents taking off over the Cairngorms so fast I didn’t see them go.  Two hats, goggles, gloves, an iphone bag are missing, presumed lost, (sofar).  We crawled off.

Having been entertained to another fine dinner by Mairi, we left for Ullapool and Finbarr.

Wednesday dawned wet, but cleared nicely in the afternoon, so Margaret, Finbarr and self had a trip up Stac Polly in lovely conditions, then we moved around the coast to Gruinard Bay for an early start for Ben Dearg Beg.  This is a remote and dramatic peak in Fisherfield with a 3 to 3.5 hour walk in to the base.  We left at 8.00 on Thursday, and did the traverse over the 3 summits dropping to the col at the far side by 2.45.  It took us to 8.00 PM to get out to the road, with the last two and a half hours in darkness. Epic or what?  A great mountain though.

Our late arrival caused some consternation amongst the gathered hoardes of Colmcillers who had arrived at the rented house in Ullapool, as apparently some elderly people were reported on Scottish radio to have got into trouble. I don’t know what all the fuss was about as It couldn’t have been us, as we are not old.

Keith was back, this time with Sam, and at the house, Sandra, Dave, Les, Ivan, Gerry, PJ and Anthony.  The weather forecast alas was dire, so while we exhausted young folk took a rest, the others tacked Stac Polly in fairly challenging conditions.

Saturday’s forecast was no better, but a party of six trogged up the valley and climbed a gully in Ben Dearg with chest deep spindrift.  There was some discussion as to whether it was Orangeman’s gully or Papist’s Passage, before someone lodged a’ Petition of concern’  a decision could not be made, and the matter was put in abeyance.

The other six, ably led by ‘Keith the snowplough’, conquered another Corbett called something beginning with E. 

The weather, being no better on Sunday, I headed South towards home.

Despite a number of cryoffs there will still 7 hardy souls in the Old Monastry Hostel in Letterfrack.  It is rustic but lovely, full of character, warm and cheap.  On Saturday we climbed the Glencullin Ridge on Ben Bury, in deteriorating conditions, getting down safely, saturated and somewhat humbled.  Meal out in the Bards Den.  Sunday was supposed to be worse, so the wimps went home, I had a dry walk by L.Inagh, Valli had a very wet Canoe/swim, and Denis was going for a walk along the Killary track.  Finbarr arrived just in time for the weather to get even worse overnight.  We pulled the wagons into a circle for protection but had to evacuate the area in the morneng just before floods closed the Westport road.  Good call as the sun was out in Sligo and we had a good scramble around Eagle Rock.  I stayed outside Valli’s but another storm ensured little sleep, so I headed up more flooded roads early morning home, Must get more buoyancy fitted to the Hobbit.

As predicted the weather gave us about 1 day’s climbing in total over the 3 day ClimbFest weekend but those of us with a hardy nature (I’m talking about “hardshell tents” of course) stuck it out for the full term.

Friday was mostly spent in McGrory’s, Valli had a bit of a fire going but it was mostly too wet to want to hang around outside much.

A few people headed to the wall on Saturday but for the rest of us it was back to the pub after a initial couple of hours at Dunmore Head taking beginners and new faces up various routes, the old classics like Orange Blossom and Tina’s Crack being ticked off.

The table we set up for the Nepal collection did a roaring trade, I was as surprised as anyone to see my old jacket go for €50! Keith as usual was in top bargaining form, outdoing the empty-pocketed Marty to grab a cam for £20.

To avoid the driving rain a few of us gathered in Keith’s mobile were Keith and Marty tried to outdo each other’s music selection and the banter and slagging was hilarious. Top funny moment was us deciding to go down and set up Marty’s wigwam, for which he drunkenly gave us all instructions and then lined us up to exit the van behind him.

“You all know what you’re doing?”
“OK, follow me!”

He then proceeded to trip over the lip of Keith’s door and go spilling out into the night while the rest of us buckled in two. Only his cat-like reflexes kept him semi-upright but he disappeared in a half-bent run around the side of his own van, where he may or may not have succumbed to gravity. We were too busy howling with laughter to see.

Anyhoo, once the mirth had settled we got the wigwam upright, weighed down with stones and with the broken door sealed with the crocodile clips from some jump leads supplied by Niall. There wasn’t a dry being inside but the craic and the music were great nonetheless.

Sunday was actually a better day than Saturday but we’d all decided on visiting the new wall. Most of the campers packed up their sodden equipment that had taken a severe battering during the night, to the extent that some spent the night in their various cars. Big Paul showed me the inside of his tent which was literally swimming in litres of water. A trip to Borderlands was required for some dry clothes. My 2 boys and their mate fared better having been in the lee of the wind and in a sturdier tent but everything was still tinged with damp and was just packed with a pitchfork for later drying at home.

The new wall was top notch, everything I expected and more and I had aching arms after leading about 6 routes. George and Gerry seemed to utterly exhaust themselves too. The kids loved it too and I expect to hear them all clamouring to visit again in the near future.

Sunday evening was a quieter affair, again back in Keith’s mobile for more banter. Monday dawned with blue skies and PJ and I set off to do Rhumdoodle at Himalayan Wall, while the others pottered about at Dunowen. Our route had briars, grass, muck and loose stuff galore but we cleaned it as best we could, in sparkling form it’d be one of the top Severe routes in Culdaff to my mind. Just a pity about the grassy 5m exit.

We all gathered then to end the day at Brasil Rock and I got to do a few routes I’d never tried before, like Alan’s Expertees (HS) and Capgun Corner (S). The weather stayed fine and even my rucksack liner blowing into the sea and boobing off towards Malin couldn’t put a dampener on the day.

For such a miserable weekend I’m surprised at how much we did manage to climb and of course the craic was top notch as usual. Great to see you all again, looking forward to these Tue / Thu nights now.