⛰️ The Hillwalking thread ⛰️

I really need to get down and try Lough

We had a wee daunder along the edges above Ladybower this weekend – I had forgotten how ‘open and windswept’ those moors are…. really odd to be tramping ground I’ve not been on in 15 years, yet felt so familiar….

Not really hills but I went out to follow the River Allan from Greenloaning to Kinbuck (nr. Dunblane) at the weekend. I had a been hoping it might miraculously be a decent connecting route on the gravel bike rather than always using the road but it was mostly soggy field edge stuff or intermittent tussocky sheep track.

HOWEVER I got a big fright near the end as I entered a field full of cows. I’m not usually worried about cows but obviously like to keep an eye on how they’re behaving. This was a very large field as well so I thought it would be easy to keep my distance.

To my dismay these ones all seemed very interested and quickly gathered into a group and started following me, cutting off my retreat. They were moving at a bit of a trot and I didn’t fancy letting them get too close so I scrambled down the riverbank which was too steep for them, but they just kept trotting along the top watching me 😭

Got to a flat bit where I no longer had the cover of the steep bank so didn’t really know what to do, I made a break for it and kept them at bay by yelling loudly and waving my hiking poles. I removed one of the rubber tips as I genuinely thought I was going to have to use a pole as a cattle prod 😬

This continued with the lead delinquent still making repeated feints at me and me having to lunge at him yelling and waving my arms. They seemed to eventually get bored and leave me alone but the leader kept trotting along for a bit, was worried that if he took a renewed interest they would all start at it again. Finally reached the fence at the end of the field (with a stile and signs warning fishermen of power lines etc. So obviously intended for public use) and jumped over.

Not sure what sort of behaviour they were displaying, I put it down to youthful high-jinks and curiosity but also wondered if they were maybe just trying to see me off out of their field, don’t think they viewed me as a threat (they didn’t seem very scared that’s for sure) and I didn’t think cows were territorial…

Either way, chastening experience!

@spin – probably an exaggeration but I think it’s Coire na Laogh. There had been a few incidents there around the time we did it so it wasn’t a great feeling descending through deep wet snow in May

Greenloaning to Kinbuck (nr. Dunblane) at the weekend. I had a been hoping it might miraculously be a decent connecting route on the gravel bike rather than always using the road but it was mostly soggy field edge stuff or intermittent tussocky sheep track.

Kinbuck to Dunblane is much more doable, if bordering MTB territory.

Kinbuck to Dunblane is much more doable, if bordering MTB territory.

Yep, ran out of time, would have loved to continue on to Dunblane and even BoA as I know those trails.

I’ve almost linked up Auchterarder to Braco off-road, so it was a shame the Greenloaning to Kinbuck bit wasn’t worth riding, could have been a cool link up.

“probably an exaggeration but I think it’s Coire na Laogh”

Ok, I can see why that would be the case, it would accumulate windslab in westerlies.

Wet spring snow probably isn’t the conditions you need to worry about there.

Mellbreak, Scale Force and Crummock Water shore followed by an evening meal in Kirkstile on Saturday (terrific weather).

Did anyone do any good walks over Easter?

Deleted

Did anyone do any good walks over Easter?

Gowbarrow Fell from Matterdale End, then down to Aria Force on Saturday. Lovely day for it

We managed a couple of random high points.

Eilean Garbh on Gigha – all 100 lofty metres in height. But stunning views.

And another oddity in the form of the twin ‘peaks’ of Davaar Island, another oxygen depleted 110m and 115m…complete with caves and crucifixes.

We were hoping for the Tump on Colonsay and the blip on Oronsay, and a Munro this weekend. But the weather has kyboshed all those plans.

Please be careful out there. I don’t want to derail this thread but I just lost my best friend.

BBC News – Body found in search for missing Edinburgh hillwalker
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-68732739

He was the most careful and logical individual. I won’t ever know exactly what happened but it’s very easy for a tricky bit to become a Bad Step in poor conditions. Don’t be afraid to turn back.

Bloody hell Gecko! So sorry to hear about your friend. That’s terrible

Sorry for your loss gecko.

Mull today. It was OK I suppose… 😉

Sorry to hear about your friend gecko, a slip or trip can happen to absolutely anyone. One of the most careful, experienced and meticulous climbers I ever knew went that way.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOMAsFIGb4HoQvSIkV8QxCEF1RHr1YyPRFolrm1uWSi7ONjyyv4-bjCdUOxkBRFT277BToWYkFmW4fmoph77ABLanV9zALa3bUn2Mu4xmfJflPbKsnz=w2400
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO7dqtva_d46IdBVBxuIJgwZnxlEiDg0WI5agQ_JRfZNcjQLGiJjjFSyaaOXTx057zLDCTRbkGj_b3A96OUuhIxlOgww0tseMKhdzhAwlq30Kd7krdC=w2400
Snap Spin from last Friday, great weather in Mull over Easter, managed to brush up my offwidth climbing skills at Fionnphort.

We are wondering about Mull in October for some hills and meanders… Those pics are helping encourage me!

A free day and dry weather coincided for me yesterday.  Dropping family in Penrith,  so headed for Martindale. Parked Howtown church and starting with Hallin Fell, I did an extended round – Beda, Angletarn, Brock, Knott, Kidsty round to Wether Hill and Steel Knotts. Took in The Nab too. Lots of hills I’d passed through/near on the bike, but never been up. Skylarks were in fine song. 27km as a first hill walk this spring will have consequences though…..

managed to brush up my offwidth climbing skills at Fionnphort.

On the split boulder? I had a good couple of hours bouldering on that hillside, it’s really good. Also had an afternoon at Loch Buie which I thought was excellent. Even managed to solo a couple of easy routes on Iona. I’ll definitely head back to Mull with a rope at some point, lots to do there.

On the split boulder?

Lol, I had a moment on that boulder, got my arm properly wedged, left some abrasion marks on the elbow of my nice Arcteryx jacket trying to free myself 😂

Our wee boy loved the hillside above it, he just disappeared scrambling up it whilst we still unpacked, a little 6 year old dot heading for the summit 😎

I’ll leave this here. Enjoy.

Our bomb proof expedition tent never had a normal tent shape again after a night in a Beinn Eighe Coire and we lost some kit. My main recollection is lying in my sleeping bag spending the whole night being slapped in the face by a wet inner as my side of the tent was constantly flattened by the raging wind. The tent survived and continued to be used for many years, despite it’s unusual re-shape. A 1980s wild country or terra nova, not my tent so I can’t quite remember. The actual owner of the tent didn’t make the trip, I don’t think he was very impressed the next time he used it with it’s new interesting profile.

Anyone got weekend walking plans?

I’ve been out of action for a few weeks but hoping to get out in the Peak or the Dales on Sunday

We were planning, but the wind is putting us off… We make make use of a tailwind and pedal to Edinburgh…

Considering heading into the Lakes again on Sunday as it looks the better of the two, it’s looking like it’ll just be me n the dog.

Running a bit behind, but back at the beginning of March me and a couple of mates had a great week up in the Highlands.

First a day on the flanks of the Cairngorms in typical winter conditions! Spindrift and zero visibility so just kept to the flanks of the plateau.

Next it was 3 days in magnificent Assynt, staying in the wonderful Suileag bothy and climbing Canisp by the lesser-trod NW ridge.

And there’s more…

…and more…

It is probably the most beautiful part of the world, for me, up there with anywhere I’ve been abroad, even though the scale may be smaller.
We were left with a last look at Suilven. We’d decided not to climb Suilven this trip, as we’d be back in early April…by canoe. Happy to say mission successful on that, but that’ll have to wait until I’ve actually edited the piccies.

Excellent photos, I’m very jealous.

Suilven is my favourite mountain by a distance. When the weather is good I think the NW Highlands are the finest hills/mountains in Europe.

The final walk of our trip was on the wild lower hills between Gairloch and northern Loch Maree, with the wind a constant wearying factor on summits for the entire week. These are astonishing little hills, rocky and with surprisingly difficult navigation, given they top out at under 400m. An Groban and Sithean Mor were the two summits, a surprisingly tough day. The views were magnificent.

Wild, wet and windy up at Wessenden today !!

Excellent photos, I’m very jealous.

As am I, very nice!

Can we have a “I spent a week of my annual leave and a chunk of money, and I didn’t see any nice views for it” thread?

Stunning day up on the Langdale Pikes on Saturday. Had this weekend booked in for a few months and was expecting a day of being in clouds and rain given the last few months of crap weather. However, we could not have asked for better weather on the day. Went up via Jack’s Rake. Much more difficult (fear wise) than I remember when I last did it as a fear and responsibility free teenager many years ago! There’s too much space in my head for the what-ifs these days.

Went up via Jack’s Rake. Much more difficult (fear wise) than I remember when I last did it as a fear and responsibility free teenager many years ago!

I found exactly the same when I last did Jack’s Rake. It struck me as greasy and very exposed. Hard to believe what I used to skip up and down in my youth. I think a lot of it is down to lack of leg and core strength, I just don’t have the same confidence in my balance and foot placement these days.

I found exactly the same when I last did Jack’s Rake. It struck me as greasy and very exposed. Hard to believe what I used to skip up and down in my youth. I think a lot of it is down to lack of leg and core strength, I just don’t have the same confidence in my balance and foot placement these days.

I’m the same. A few years ago I really started to lose confidence on scrambly bits, and felt far more exposed than I used to, and I’ve always had a good head for heights (former climber). Took me a while to get my head round it, but eventually I realised the lack of “spring” in legs (and arms to an extent) and the therefore more laboured climbing, was sucking confidence as was a lack of the fitness of youth. By slowing down quite a bit, I’ve mostly got reasonable confidence back, though I’m definitely nowhere near as happy as I was 30 years ago skipping happily along the Cuillin ridge and the like, revelling in it.