About Me

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Hello! My name is Keith Gault and I've been tramping the hills of the UK and further afield for over 40 years now. This blog records some recent hill days undertaken either on my own, with friends, or with clients under my guided hillwalking Company: Hillways (www.hillways.co.uk). I hope you enjoy my diary; please feel free to comment on any of the walks. I will respond to any direct questions.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Lochaber - Winter 2015



Ben Nevis

As spring beckoned, there was just time for one more full-on winter foray on to the high tops.  Dave needed a ‘winter fix’ and Lochaber duly delivered with 2 classic winter days: great winter ridge walking on the western Mamores and coping with a white-out on the Aonachs.


Stob Ban 

Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean

These 2 mountains, the westernmost peaks of the Mamore range, couldn’t be more different.  Like most Stob Bans, this one is a steep-sided conical peak, largely composed of grey quartzite, whose NE face is a shattered line of vertiginous cliffs.  The Mullach is a flat dome of pink granite protected on its N side by 2 huge sweeping corries.  The 2 peaks are connected by a classic Highland ridge that twists and turns for 3½Km above the SE corner of Glen Nevis.


Coire a' Mhusgain & Glen Nevis

We set off from Achriabhach and left the road at the Lower Falls on the Water of Nevis.  A good stalker’s path follows the E side of the Allt Coire a’ Mhusgain and we took this all the way up the glen, crossing the snowline at 700m where crampons were donned to get us on to the skyline safely.


 Stob Ban

The snow-filled corries of the N & E slopes of the Mamore’s ridge contrasted markedly with the wind-scoured S & W slopes.  As we ascended the ever-steepening ridge to Stob Ban, we literally found ourselves with one foot on rock and the other on icy snow.  The summit cairn was buried in snow and a nasty cornice kept us away from the E fringe.  Stob Ban (999m; white peak). 


The Mamore Ridge

We needed the crampons again to negotiate the steep icy slopes of the mountain’s N aspect and get us down to the flatter slopes of the main Mamore ridge. An hour’s easy walking took us around the impressive fringe of Choire Dheirg and up on to the flat granite summit of Mullach nan Coirean (939m; summit of the corries).


 Mullach nan Coirean

We descended the Mullach’s NE ridge, slowly at first on tricky snow patches, before the slope eased and the snow disappeared, both at the same time.  We followed the fence line down into Coire Riabhach before crossing the forest boundary via the new stile and taking the equally new path down through the partly felled plantation and back to Achriabhach.


Ben Nevis & Carn Mor Dearg From Aonach Mor

Aonach Mor & Aonach Beag

The following day, we took the gondola and chairlift up to 870m and walked up on to the plateau of Aonach Mor in what quickly became white-out conditions.  This proved to be strangely helpful to an hour’s micro-nav practice which took us carefully - by compass bearing and pacing - along the relatively narrow summit plateau to the diminutive summit cairn of Aonach Mor (1221m; big ridge).


Rime Ice-Encrusted Summit Cairn of Aonach Mor

With little change in the conditions, we struck out from the ice-encrusted cairn and headed S in search of our 2nd Munro.  Fifteen minutes of careful compass work brought us successfully to the narrow neck that separates the 2 mountains.  


Dave Getting to Grips With the Micro-Nav!

Once here, the N cliffs of Aonach Beag loomed out of the whiteness and seemed to tower above us like an alpine giant.  In reality of course, it was a relatively modest 150m climb up mixed ground on to the summit snow dome of Aonach Mor (1234m; little ridge).


The Cliffs of Coire an Lochain

Seeing nothing (not even the buried cairn), except for the dangerously faint outline of a nearby cornice, we returned the same way, back over Aonach Mor and suddenly out into clear, bright skies and some welcome afternoon sunshine!


 Looking North Towards Aonach an Nid

We traversed N to the top of the Warrens ski run which we then paralleled down to the gondola station and a most welcome rapid descent back into the world!


Check out my plans for the coming season at:  http://www.hillways.co.uk/   

Saturday 7 March 2015

Dreish & Mayar



Dreish From Glen Doll

Doctor Jon decided to open his 2015 Munro account with a quick visit to the Angus glens to capture these 2 relatively modest, yet always enjoyable, Munros.  A good choice, as it happens, given that ferociously strong westerly winds and heavy rainfall had effectively put all other Munros out of contention for the weekend!

Glen Clova
A 2hr drive north from Edinburgh airport placed us at the Forestry Commission car park at the entrance to Glen Doll some 12 miles up Glen Clova, north of Kirriemuir.    This gives a relatively high start of 260m which, when combined with the somewhat modest height of the 2 mountains, gives a relatively kind height-to-climb for the day.
 
Heading Towards the Shank of Drumfollow
We took the usual route up through the forest on the Kilbo Path and continuing up the eastern flank of the Shank of Drumfollow to the skyline at 800m.  Much of the recent snow had melted away leaving patches of generally soft snow and the occasional hazardous patch of ice on the plateau.  Heading east from the skyline and now in cloud, an easy, if breezy, kilometre brought us to the summit trig point of Dreish (947m; thorn bush).  The cloud may have denied us a view, but closer to hand, the sight of 2 ptarmigan in winter plumage and a small flock of golden plovers added welcome interest!

Spring Meltwater in the Fee Burn
With no obvious reason to linger, we retraced our steps across the plateau and followed the various fences that now predominate hereabouts before rising ground signalled the approach of our 2nd Munro of the day: Mayar (928m; high plain).

Corrie Fee
Again, cloud and strong winds moved us smartly on and taking a line just east of north cross the snow patches took us to the lip of Corrie Fee.  This impressive steep-sided corrie is a nature reserve and is well worth a visit in its own right, let alone as part of a Munro day!  A few remaining snow patches on the corrie headwall made for some interesting steps, but caused no major problems.  The same could not be said for some of the young hillwalkers coming the other way in soft trainers and leisurewear….  Fortunately, they were quick to appreciate their predicament and turned back before getting into real trouble.

Corrie Fee
There just remained a pleasant descent through the forest and back to the car, a little over 5hrs from starting out.  Given the conditions over the rest of Scotland that day, we couldn’t help but feel we’d sneaked in through the back door and grabbed our Munros whilst the weather gods weren’t looking!

Check out my plans for the coming season at:  http://www.hillways.co.uk/