Stories and pics from 2001

Weekend trip to Staoineag Bothy in January 2001

There were only 2 who made the trip in on the Friday. Willie Robison and I set out from Kinlochleven and decided to take the track rather than climb a hill. The idea was to get to the Bothy before dark on a safe route. However, a walk over the hills may have proved less difficult. Every so often, as we walked along the track, we were met by stretches of sheet ice covering 10 – 20 yards of the path. The ice also spread out on either side of the path, so numerous detours were made. On one occasion, I started my descent to the path too soon and slipping on the ice came down to the pathway faster than anticipated. However, my head partially broke the fall (no major damage done as I hear you all say!) Eventually we came into sight of the Bothy and as we got closer Willie decided to get in on the act and sprawled on a patch of ice. With only grazed knuckles to show he managed to get to his feet and at last we arrived.

It proved to be well equipped with a plentiful supply of logs inside. The only problem was that they were frozen to the floor. Also there was still a small Christmas tree and decorations left by previous occupants. The river (Abhainn Rath) was mostly frozen over, but the stepping stones provided a break so that we were able to get water. We had brought in our own supply of coal, wood and kindling and soon got a fire started. Feeling warmer we made our meals and had a couple of drinks as the evening wore on. We settled down for the night with the fire still glowing.

In the morning it was good weather and after breakfast, we set off to climb Beinn na Cloiche which was immediately behind the Bothy. It was a good days walking – great views and good weather. We returned to Staoineag avoiding the ice patches that had caught us out the day before.

On our return, we decided to try to saw up some of the logs. This managed to keep us warm and eventually we had a good supply for the fire. While busy at this, Mark and Allan arrived. They had got the train to Corrour and walked in having also climbed Creag Ghuanach. Not long after the rest of the party (Andy, James & Kenny) arrived having come from Kinlochleven via Glas Bheinn. They had also brought in coal and kindling so we had a good supply for the fire. We had an enjoyable evening – Kenny celebrating the proximity of Burns’ night with a meal of haggis, neeps and tatties.

With the Bothy now well thawed out we had a comfortable night’s sleep. Overnight there was a snowfall and the weather deteriorated. In the morning after breakfast, Willie and I decided to walk out over Glas Bheinn while the rest were to return to Kinlochleven by way of climbing Beinn na Cloiche. The climb itself was not eventful and we duly reached the summit although we were denied a view. On our descent we kept a lookout for the others but they were not to be seen. We made the track in the glen and were surprised not to see the other’s tracks in the snow, as we had expected them to reach it before us.

We continued on the path but it proved to be quite treacherous. With the covering of new snow we were unable to see where the ice patches were. This resulted in a few interesting slips and slides. We eventually made the main track with only a few new bruises and then looking back saw the rest tentatively picking their way along the path trying to avoid our skid marks. (This was not always a successful choice as the various gymnastic efforts and associated cursing proved that Willie and I hadn’t discovered all the ice traps.)

The main track had only a few ice sheets for us to negotiate and we all managed to get back to the cars without any further mishaps. Once back at the cars it was just a case of getting a change of clothing and then driving home where we could nurse our bumps and bruises but look back on what had mostly been an enjoyable weekend.

Bob MacDonald, January Weekend Organiser

Day Trip to the Loch Lubnaig area on Saturday 3 February 2001

Starting in the car park alongside Loch Lubnaig (GR588118), a small team set off in the rain to tackle Sgiath a'Chaise above Glen Ample (a Graham) ... the other group headed for Beinn Each (a Corbett). The route started with a forest walk which helped to keep the rain off, but after an hour the forest was left behind and the route continued well into Glen Ample. The hard work then started with a steep climb via Creag a'Mhadaidh to the summit of Sgiath a'Chaise. Fortunately there were reasonable views looking over to Beinn each and down Loch Lubnaig. It was decided to descend a little before stopping for lunch and by then the rain had eased off slightly. After lunch, the group continued back down to Glen Ample and returned by the forest to the cars.

The customary drink was enjoyed in Callander with the team from Beinn Each. With reports of waist-deep snow on the slopes, it appears that Sgiath a'Chaise was the best choice for that day!

Mark Setford, February Day Trip Organiser

Weekend Trip to the Crieff area February 2001

Saturday 17th

The day got off to a good start with wall-to-wall sunshine, which was a bit of a shock to everyone. The cars were driven up Glen Lednock to Invergeldie, with the target Creag Ruadh at GR674292. The start of the route followed a good track for the first 6km and provided spectacular views of Ben Chonzie. At the top of the track, one of the group decided to turn back and walk into Comrie ... the rest continued to the summit of Creag Ruadh, then decided to go on to the summit of Creag Uchdag over Ruadh Mheall since the weather was so good. The legs were flagging as we walked down to the reservoir dam, but were rewarded with a spectacular sunset.

Sunday 18th

We'd noticed the rugged peak of Mor Bheinn above Comrie the day before, so we headed off to Craggish just outside Comrie after breakfast. The walk skirted around Aberuchill Castle and continued towards Tomanour where we left the track and headed up the ridge to the summit of Ben Halton. This was hard work, but the views of the surrounding hills were worth it. The ridge between Ben Halton and Mor Bheinn is very rugged, but we soon reached its summit. The return route involved going back to the col and picking up the track which skirted to the south of Ben Halton to bring us back to Tomanour and the cars.

Mark Setford, February Weekend Trip Organiser

The outings planned for March and April were cancelled due to the Foot and Mouth restrictions in force.
The Easter Weekend to Fort William went ahead at the last minute when foot baths were introduced on a limited number of routes (such as the Ben, Aonach Mor and Creag Meagaidh)

Day Trip to the Bridge of Orchy area on Sunday 12 August 2001

Nine people set off for Bridge of Orchy despite a very gloomy forecast. Four climbed Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a'Chreachain; four tackled Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh; and Bill Cochrane was dropped off at Dalrigh to walk the West Highland Way as far as Bridge of Orchy.

Bill appeared to have the best of the weather, as the rest of the group spent most of the time walking in low cloud and rain. A very damp day and one which meant that the navigation skills of both high level teams were put to the test.

Having a GPS proved to be an additional asset for the Beinn Dorain team .. just as a check to make sure! The other team relied on the skill of Kenny MacKenzie who got them safely back to the pub. All of the routes were completed more or less to book time, leaving plenty for a beer and a chat in the Bridge of Orchy Hotel before heading for home.

Bob MacDonald, August Day Trip Organiser

Weekend Trip to Inverie in Knoydart in August 2001

Twelve members and guests caught the 2.15pm ferry from Mallaig to Inverie on Friday 24th for an excellent weekend in Knoydart. We were met at Inverie pier by Roger Trussell, who runs the Torrie Sheiling bunkhouse, and all our baggage and myself were transported along the ¾ mile road/track up to the bunkhouse in the LandRover and trailer. After a short period of settling in, six enthusiasts set off up the Corbett, Sgurr Coire Choinnichean, directly behind Inverie. Over the evening everyone gravitated to The Old Forge for drinks, meals or both eventually making their way back to the bunkhouse by torchlight.

The next morning everyone, excluding Gordon’s mum and myself (injury), headed off to Ladhar Bheinn via Mam Barrisdale to help Gordon celebrate the ascent of his last Munro. Unfortunately their passage along the ridge and arrival at the summit coincided with the only 2 hour period of cloud and rain all day, but undaunted the champagne, salmon pate and oatcakes were consumed before the descent to Folach and return to Inverie.

A table had been booked for all 12 at The Old Forge where we had an excellent meal and one or two drinks. Gordon was presented with a specially commissioned Bananaman Munroist’s certificate plus a few other mementoes including whisky, courtesy of the barman and an Old Forge baseball cap from the owner, and later a kiss from the barmaid. Gordon made such a good job of celebrating that almost everyone had departed for the hills the next day before he made an appearance. This also applied to Bob who surfaced briefly before deciding he would be better off in bed for most of the rest of the day.

Justin, Allan and Jim (my brother) went off to do the round of Meall Buidhe and Luinne Bheinn, not all in the same direction, and most others went off round the low level route via Inverguseran and Airor to the west of Inverie, which seemed to be a bit longer than originally estimated. Gordon and his mum went off to The Old Forge for lunch, just to check if it was possible to drink more in the afternoon than the previous evening, but gave up after 2 bottles of wine and a couple of pints.

On Monday morning we all departed on the 11am ferry back to Mallaig after a thoroughly enjoyable weekend of generally good weather and midges which did not seem quite as ravenous as on previous visits to Knoydart. The bunkhouse, although expensive, provided excellent accommodation and is recommended for a return visit in the future.

Ian Moffatt, Inverie Organiser

Click on the pic to read a personal account of the September 2001 trip to the Picos de Europa in Northern Spain.

Day Trip to the Dalmally Area on Sun 7 October 2001

A small number of dedicated walkers met in the Green Welly at Tyndrum to finalise plans for the day. Iain Glassford decided he was not match fit and opted for a walk on the West Highland Way, the rest of us headed for Cruachan and a walk round the reservoir. The weather on the summits was not looking too good but, surprisingly, the sun was shining on us when we arrived at the start point. The steep climb up to the dam along with the mild temperatures necessitated a few stops on the way to the dam to take in the views.

At the dam the clouds covering the hills were almost black and thoughts of any ascents were put on the back-burner. A short while later, however, things were looking brighter and we looked at the possibility of climbing to the col between Stob Diamh and Beinn a'Bhuiridh. Bill, Tom and Alison stayed with the original reservoir walk while Bob, Alan and myself headed for the col. As we gained height, the clouds cleared ahead of us so we continued on to the top at 980m and finally to the summit of Stob Diamh at 998m where we were rewarded with views of the surrounding peaks (but not Schiehallion!). A slippy descent past a recent boggy landslide near the reservoir and it was back to the cars then home via the customary refreshment stop by which time the rain had returned.

Willie Robison, Dalmally Organiser

Weekend Trip to Ossian Youth Hostel in Nov 2001

A group of 16 hardy hillwalkers headed for Ossian on the night of Friday 16th November 2001 for a weekend visiting the local summits. 13 met at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel in good time for a bite to eat and a pint or two before train time at 8.40pm. One was already on the train, having boarded at Queen Street, and 2 were already there by way of an earlier train. The walk-in from Corrour to the Hostel was quick, and we were soon settled in.

On the Saturday morning, the largest group comprising Mark, Justin, Iris, Kefah, Raymond, Jane and Chris headed along the loch to return over Sgor Gaibhre and Carn Dearg, avoiding the new wild boar enclosure cunningly hidden along the route; the Boyd and MacKenzie family groups were joined by Bob for a round of the Leum Uilleim horseshoe; Andy and Ian made for the two Tops of Beinn Eibhinn; and Bill explored round the back o’Beinn na Lap. The clag was hovering around the 600m mark, but the day was not unpleasant. All groups returned before dark and a communal dinner was enjoyed courtesy of Bob and Andy fairly early in the evening.

As the volume of beer and wine carried in the night before began to reduce in quantity, and the juniors were tucked into their bunks, the cabaret began. You could blame it on the facts that there’s a resident guitar in the Hostel, and that Ian is an accomplished folk singer and guitarist, but also that we have a well-rehearsed music hall and monologue performer within our ranks. Oh, yes, we DO like to be beside the seaside!

As the hour grew late, and both the repertoire and the performers became exhausted, the sleeping bags were filled. There are still some hills out there to be climbed tomorrow!

On Sunday, Andy and Bob left early to climb Creag Ghuanach, a 621m summit above Loch Treig, listed in the Grahams tables. The best route was to head for Corrour station, then walk the railway track until Loch Treig to pick up a good track to the foot of the hill. There aren’t any trains on a Sunday until 6.30pm, so they walked with confidence. Until, that is, Andy spotted a set of very quiet headlights coming quickly along the track. It was a LandRover fitted with railway wheels (as well as road wheels) belonging to First Engineering! Every day’s a school day. The Creag may be low in stature, but it’s not an easy summit .. steep and rocky all the way up and down.

The others mainly did the round of the loch, with Justin, Raymond and Jane visiting Beinn na Lap. After a final round of tea and cakes, the group loaded up for the return to Corrour and home. Another great weekend at one of the Club’s favourite locations … and, by the way, music hall is NOT dead!

AMcG