FERRANTI MOUNTAINEERING CLUB
JOURNAL 2002
25-27 January Burns’ Supper – Lagangarbh
15-17 February Blackwater Hostel, Kinlochleven
19-22 April Tigh Iseabail, Kintail
21-23 June Midsummer camping extravaganza
12-14 July Far
North camping – Durness
6-8 September Glen
Rosa, Arran
25-27 October Annual Dinner – Atholl Arms, Blair
Atholl
6-8 December Christmas Dinner, Muir of Inverey
Burns’ Supper – Lagangarbh
Present:
Graeme M (Meet Sec); Tony Bl, Keith, Mark, Valerie, Richard, Willie, Steve
& Debbie, Tony K, Jo, Ruth & Simon, Caitlin, Morag, Fiona M, Brian,
Anne, Bob, Nicola, Martin, and Nina.
This
was an exceptionally well attended meet, with 17 members and guests on Friday
night and 22 on Saturday. The bunks in
the Barn accommodated the overspill from Lagangarbh itself, but seating for
Saturday’s meal was decidedly cramped.
For once, however, the toilet paper did not run out.
Snow
lay right down to road, but was judged too unconsolidated for serious
climbing. On Saturday a large party
went up Buachaille Etive Mòr
by the rocky ridge that flanks Coire na Tulaich on its west side, and continued
over Stob Dearg, Stob na Doire, Stob Coire Altruim and Stob na Bròige, then
retraced their steps before descending into the Lairig Gartain. Others floundered on snowy slabs on Beinn a’
Bheithir or attempted sundry Corbetts.
Rain fell for most of the day, and the conditions were soft underfoot.
In
the evening, a rustic haggis was duly addressed, or at least Marked, and the
bard memorialised in verse and song by Tony the “Meistersinger”. Steve’s gracious Toast to the Lassies was
met with a ball-crushing reply from the feisty Miss L - no jo she, on this
occasion - before M.C. Brian rounded off the formalities with a few well
chosen lines. Later the ladies were in
fine voice, and would surely have melted the iciest heart. Far better than any tartan tomfoolery, here
was a homespun tribute to Robert Burns and the enduring weft of his verse.
Sunday
saw a further ascent of the Buachaille, by the two Tonys, Keith, Richard and
Graeme. At the summit, the mist swirled
briefly away, disclosing a snowy prospect of the Crowberry Tower. Further west, Anne, Brian and Jo climbed
Meall Lighiche, an outlier of Sgòr
na h’Ulaidh, while Fiona, Ruth and Simon went home.
15-17 Feb – Blackwater Hostel, Kinlochleven
Present: Brian (Meet Sec); Anne; Nina; Valerie; Mark;
Peter; Helen.
The
hostel is on the site of the former aluminium smelter and the area is being
developed to include an ice-climbing arena, scheduled to be open in 2003. Although well appointed with separate rooms
with their own facilities, the walls are thin and all found the hostel noisy on
both nights.
Saturday
dawned overcast, wet and windy, and little was done apart from a walk to
Blackwater Reservoir by Brian and Mark.
It
was Nina’s birthday, and Jo had sneakily smuggled a large and tasty cake to
Valerie (more or less under Nina’s nose) which duly appeared to her surprise on
the table on the Friday night and large helpings of it were enjoyed washed down
with rosé sparkling wine before they settled down to watch “Footloose” on Sat
night in their dormitory!
On
Sunday Anne, Peter and Helen set off for Sgurr Eilde Mor and Binnien Mor, but
decided against visiting the high tops with the deteriorating conditions. Ann decided to continue and ascend Glas
Bheinn, a lonely Corbett above Loch Eilde Mor.
Meanwhile the remainder of the party headed up to Aonach Mor via the
gondola and headed into the eastern corrie to climb. There misty conditions were discovered and the party waited for
an improvement before heading into the corrie in two pairs. Within a few minutes of starting up their
chosen routes, both parties retreated in the face of a number of avalanches
within a few minutes of one another. The avalanches came horrifyingly close to
Nina and Brian, who were physically swept off the bottom of the route, kept
safe fortunately by a very sound belay, after which they retreated at a pace
that can only be matched by the very greatest Olympic athletes. After watching other parties who had chosen
to continue, all headed back down to go home.
8-10 Mar –
Roshven
Present: Neil & Clare,
Steve & Debbie, James, Calum & Fiona, Rosemary, Tony K, Nina, Simon,
Scott, Brian, Anne, Ariane, Amanda, Keith, Peter.
FMC Juniors: Gavin (5), Cormack(3), Lewis(1),
Heather(5 mths).
It
was a busy meet and yet not a particularly stunning forecast for the weekend so
it was nice to see so many faces wanting to turn up regardless.
Saturday
was forecast to be the best day of the two so most people set out with great
plans. Brian, Nina and Ariane went to Ben Nevis to climb the Carn Mor Dearg
Arête. Simon, Scott, Tony & Fiona went to climb Streap . Pete & Anne
went to climb Braigh nan Uamhachan (or at least I think they did. They never
told me the name of the hill & I have a strong suspicion they couldn’t
pronounce it either!) Keith went with them but climbed Gulvain instead. James
& Amanda went for Roshven and Debbie, Clare & Rosemary chose the
shortest Corbett in Stob Coire a Chearcaill, across the loch from Fort William.
Being Mothers Day /(weekend) the Dads, Neil, Steve & Calum were left to
mind the kids.
The
weather turned out to be fairly dramatic. The day started with heavy rain
showers and sleet. Being blustery these moved quickly on to be replaced by
brief intervals of sunshine. Then the rain, sleet & snow were back. This continued throughout the day and we
were constantly looking out for the next shower. I understand that Tony was
constantly dressing & undressing to match the conditions but was out of
sync with the rapid changes, taking off his cagoule in the sunshine just as the
next storm cloud appeared. The weather was extremely localised and it was
possible at times to walk only a few hundred yards and miss a shower
altogether. By the sound of it Debbie, Clare and Rosemary’s hill had the best
weather & views and they had to endure only a short snowstorm on the
summit. The Streap party had a hard time of strong winds and snow and decided
to retreat from the ridge before reaching the summit.
Keith,
Pete & Anne succeeded in their walks but not in the most pleasant of
conditions. Brian, Nina and Ariane’s route took them up the North Ridge of Carn
Mor Dearg (grade II), from the Aonach Mor Gondola station, followed by a
traverse of the Carn Mor Dearg Arête, dropping down by the abseil posts. There they assisted another party by helping
to lower them down in snowy and windy conditions, before pausing for tea stop
at the CIC hut. Meanwhile, James &
Amanda were lucky to miss a lightning bolt which struck nearby on Roshven.
Certainly
after some harsh conditions on the hills it was nice to know that there would
be a meal waiting on our return. As usual Neil had put in a mammoth effort and
prepared a variety of curries to satisfy both carnivore and vegetarian tastes.
He had also gone wild with the ice cream maker for dessert coming up with four
of his own varieties such as ‘gin and chocolate chip’! It was cosy fitting 18
adults round the table but it made for an excellent atmosphere and a great meal
all round.
Sunday’s
forecast was poor and it was clear that there would be no hill walking. The
winds were too strong and Aonach Mor was shut for skiing as well. A few set out
for low level walks, including a coastal walk by Tony; Keith; Simon and Scott,
and a few headed back early as the roads were meant to be poor. (Certainly both
Glencoe & Drumochter were shut for part of the day.) At Roshven itself the morning was quite
pleasant and Neil & James undertook some timber felling operations. By the
afternoon though the rain was lashing down and those who stayed on to Monday –
Steve, Debbie, James & Amanda were treated to some pretty stormy weather. Back to top
22-24 Mar – Insh
Hostel
Present:
Brian, Anne, Peter, Helen, Simon, Rosemary
The
hostel is in fact a converted bungalow adjoining the owners home, most notable
for having a particularly noisy duck that was intent on keeping the hostel
inhabitants awake at night.
On
Saturday Peter and Helen traversed the three Monadhliath munros: A’
Chaillearch; Carn Sgulain; and Carn Dearg.
Brian and Anne went from
Fiacaill a’Coir an t-Sneachda to Cairn Lochain in very windy weather and thaw
conditions, and then descended by the Goat Track.
On
Sunday the weather was overcast, windy and mild, most of the group went home apart
from Brian and Anne who ascended Creag Dubh behind Insh by the forestry tracks.
19-22 Apr – Tigh
Iseabail, Kintail
Present: Tony K, Jo, Scott, Fiona M, Simon L,
James, Amanda, Steve Ro, Peter F, Keith.
This
was our second visit to Willie Nicholson’s bunkhouse at Camusluinie at the head
of Loch Long, north of Dornie. The bunkhouse is small, comfortable and offers
free fresh eggs!
The
weather forecast was not very encouraging- after a bright start on Saturday,
the usual cloud and rain was expected to sweep in by lunchtime and stick around
for the foreseeable future. However the Friday night was fine, giving the
opportunity to observe an interesting alignment of the planets, and a glimpse
of the elusive aurora. These unusual happenings led to a fit of most
uncharacteristic enthusiasm, in which a plot was hatched to set out REALLY
early and get a good day in before the rain arrived.
Even
more amazingly, Tony, Jo, Scott, Simon and Fiona were found heading up onto The
Saddle before 7am! It was indeed a bright morning, and the ridge was gained
before most folk had even started on their cornflakes. The route was the
circuit of the northern corrie of The Saddle, which takes in all the tops of
this splendid peak (except Sgurr na Forcan). The first peak gave a little mild
scrambling, and then the main summit was gained in mist- presumably heralding
the expected downpour.
However
it stayed dry, and the continuing ridge gave a number of fascinating peaks and dips
over the various summits. As the party descended, the sun came out again with
fine views over to Beinn Sgritheall and Skye. The descent was long and, in
spite of the early start, it was mid-afternoon before the glen was gained. Jo,
Scott and Fiona were a few minutes ahead and just as they reached the car
(without a key!) the rain started. However a convenient old trailer provided an
ideal improvised shelter, and before long Tony and Simon arrived- just as the
downpour really got its act together. You can imagine the smug virtuosity of
the party as the rain became heavier and heavier!
Sunday
was, as expected, wet. Seeking salvation further east, Simon, Scott, James and
Amanda headed for Sgurr nan Conbhairean above Clunie. However the weather was
pretty uninspiring, and only Simon and Scott were tempted to continue to Carn
Ghluasaid.
Meanwhile
Jo, Fiona, Tony and Peter decided to risk life and limb on some of Willie’s
boneshakers and head up the glen towards the Falls of Glomach. Tony and Peter
then made an attempt on Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan, but were driven back by the
increasingly torrential downpour.
Only
Tony and Peter elected to stay on until the Monday, anticipating a fine day as
the weather was expected to clear. However, the day dawned with the same
persistent rain although the forecast suggested it would be better further
east. So, expecting maybe a climb just beyond Clunie, they headed east…. and
east…. and east. At Blair Atholl it stopped raining! The frustrated pair
decided to make the best of it, and nipped up Ben Vrackie in improving weather.
This
cloud, however, had a particularly useful silver lining, as it led to the
discovery (over a pint or two in the Moulin Inn) that the Atholl Arms at Blair
Atholl had been taken over by the Moulin Inn, and it now sounded like an
excellent venue for the Annual Dinner… and so it turned out to be.
3-5 May – Camping
on Rùm
Those present: James (meet sec.); Tom D;
Graeme; Mike; Ruth F; Bob P; Fiona M; Simon L; Ruth L; Scott D; Jo L; Mark L;
Valerie C; Alan M
A
long weekend on an island in summer inspired a large group of the FMC to make
the journey across the water, however the rest of the UK seemed to have had the
same idea as we joined a cast of thousands seeking the great outdoors. The
advance party travelled over on Friday then, after spotting sea eagles over the
bay, they imbibed and danced till late at a ceilidh in the community hall. The
rest of us had to spend the night on the more prosaic mainland, some in a
hostel (after glimpsing the local Mallaig nightlife) and some on waste-ground
beside the road between Arisaig and Mallaig listening to the lorries thunder
past. Given the required hour of our rising, it is probably marginal who had
the better nights sleep.
The
advance party had had the foresight to pitch their tent in such a manner as to
'bag' an area for our group so, having successfully contructed Ferrantiopilis,
a wide variety of activities and explorations were embarked upon. Walking (high
and low), rock climbing, the obligatory Castle tour, dropping camping food on
the ground and having to eat it, bonfire building etc. But two stand out as
worthy of particular mention. Firstly Mark for successfully culling the local
trout population by one (providing a tasty starter), and secondly Tom for his
"nesting amongst the shearwaters" - bivvying up a mountain near some
shearwater holes/nests in order to experience being dive-bombed by them as they
returned at dusk. There was also a full
traverse of the Cuillin on Saturday, Simon deciding to return to the first
summit for the sunset while the others returned by the coast. On Sunday there was some climbing on an
uncharted crag by Simon, Ruth, Graeme, Mark and Scott.
But
all good things must come to an end, and we had to depart on Monday leaving
with only memories of beautiful weather and scenery, and a minimal number of
midge and tick bites.
17-20 May – Elphin
Present:
Brian (Meet Sec); Anne; Jo L; Val L; Tony K; Steve Ro; Tony Bl.
On
Saturday Jo and Val set off for Conival and Ben More Assynt but were turned
back by strong winds, so instead they drove to Lochinver to buy some strawberry
jam for Brian (apparently a crisis averted) and visit the Knockan Visitor
Centre. Meanwhile
Tony,
Steve, Anne and Brian successfully traversed the peaks of Quinag.
Sunday
saw a massed visit to the rock climbing playground along the coast at Reiff,
whilst Tony K headed (a long way!) north and had a fine day on Cranstackie and
Beinn Spionnaidh.
On Monday it was a return to
the peaks with Jo and Val in one party to Stac Pollaidh, followed by the two
Tonys in another. Meanwhile Brian and
Anne climbed Ben Hee, which is a lot easier to pronounce and spell than most
the peaks they climb and require reporting on.
21-23 Jun –
Midsummer camping extravaganza
Present:
Mark and lots of people he encouraged to occupy the much favoured campsite at
Achmelvich.
Some
hills were climbed on the Saturday including Cul Beag, but the most memorable
feature of the weekend was the barbecue, which was tackled in deteriorating
conditions behind barricades used to shelter from the horizontal driving rain. Conditions improved again on the Sunday to
allow yet another trip to Reiff to enjoy more rock climbing at the sea’s edge.
12-14 July –
Far North camping – Durness
Present
– Brian S, Anne M, Mark L, Valerie C, Nina T
Brian
and Anne headed north on the Friday evening and pitched their tent in a
sheltered area of the Durness campsite overlooking the windswept Pentland
Firth. On Saturday they headed off
eastwards along the north coast road to the head of Loch Eriboll from where a
track leads to the hills by Strath Beag and Strabeg Cottage (now an MBA
bothy). A further 2-3km of walking past
the cottage through a pleasant wood, fenced in to encourage regeneration, and
the great crag of Creag Shomhairle is reached.
The aptly named ‘Roost’ 60m (Hard Severe), takes a great line up a
strenuous crack in the middle of the south face of the crag on excellent gneiss
and gave the pair a fantastic afternoon’s ascent. This was followed by an exciting abseil from ‘Windy Corner’ back
to the Strath and the return to Durness.
In
the evening Mark, Valerie and Nina arrived having climbed ‘King Bee’ (VS) at
Creag Dubh on route, and joined a midnight celebration of yet another of
Brian’s birthdays! On Sunday, after a
walk on the Durness Beach beside the campsite, everyone headed for the more
easterly beach and took advantage of the low tide to climb on the coastal crags
in the afternoon sunshine. Mark’s party
headed off home in the late afternoon, leaving Brian and Anne to spend another
night at the Durness campsite. On
Monday they visited Glenlivet by way of a detour for an ascent of Carn Mor, the
sole Corbett in the Ladder Hills.
Saturday
and Sunday were both fine, although there was considerable cloud at first on
Sunday. Monday
was showery on
the north coast but fine and warm in the sunshine further south.
9-11 August –
CIC Hut
Meet Sec: Graeme Morrison
Present:
Graeme M (meet
sec); Brian; Anne; Nina; Sinclair, Scott, Peter I,
Mark , Ken, and Graeme T.
Friday
evening’s walk up the Allt a’Mhuillin was accomplished in an intermittent
drizzle, with midges goading the laggards.
In addition to the FMC contingent, several members of the Perth JMCS
squeezed into the hut.
Saturday dawned dry and almost windless. Ken and Mark tackled Centurion, by far the
hardest climb of the weekend, and reached the top in spite of locally wet rock,
while Scott and Graeme T went up Tower Ridge.
Wittingly or not, the other parties made
centenary ascents of two routes that were first climbed by that outstanding
mountaineer, Harold Raeburn, in the summer of 1902. In those bygone days it was the summit hotel rather than the CIC
Hut that afforded climbers a high-altitude base. Hither in a June heat wave came Dr & Mrs Inglis Clark,
followed two days later by Raeburn, who straight away began a solo first ascent
of Observatory Buttress. Perched on the
Great Tower, William Inglis Clark enjoyed a grandstand view.
“….. eagerly looking down we espied a moving speck on the rocks of the
Observatory Buttress. It was that
solitary climber, who amid the great immensities of the place seemed to
traverse invisible ledges, and to climb where foot and hand holds could not be
seen.”
Raeburn
himself later wrote of this, his third attempt on the buttress:
“Below, was the fast flowing shadow tide; above, the blaze of sunlight,
and oh, blessed thought, perhaps afternoon tea. It was enough, I went up, and, fifteen hours from the Sea, stood
upon the Summit.”
Now, a hundred years later, Raeburn’s
achievement was commemorated by Brian, Anne, Graeme M, and Peter, who made the
ascent of his Original Route (or something very like it). Though the climb was done in two ropes of
two, it fell largely to Brian to seek a line of weakness on this complex
face. If an Edwardian afternoon tea was
lacking at the top, a shortbread finger and mouthful of water was no bad
substitute.
Two days after his solo outing, Raeburn went to
the foot of the North-East Buttress with the Inglis Clarks, and climbed to the
First Platform by a magnificent line on the edge between the north and east
faces. This route, now known as
Raeburn’s Arête and
still graded Severe, was done by Nina and StClair, who then continued to the
summit by the remainder of the NE Buttress.
Raeburn put up another dozen new climbs on Ben
Nevis, including remarkable first winter ascents of Green Gully (1906) and
Observatory Ridge (1920). These routes
were his bequest to us, matching the Inglis Clarks’s endowment of the hut in
memory of their soldier son, Charles.
Alpine enthusiasts will no doubt be aware of
Raeburn’s fine achievements further afield, including the North Face of the
Disgrazia (TD) and the first solo traverse of the Meije in 1919. He was described thus by Willie Ling:
“Gifted by Nature with a marvellous sense of balance, a wiry frame, and
an extraordinary suppleness of limb, he added to these a cool judgment, entire
fearlessness, and an indomitable will which refused to be beaten.”
He
has sometimes been characterised by later generations as a rather humourless
clock-watcher, too greatly absorbed in the technicalities of climbing. On the contrary, he seems to have
appreciated the natural world more than most.
“An intense interest in Nature in all her manifestations, in wild life
of birds and beasts, in flowers and plants, in rocks and the structure of
mountains, gave him that keenness of observation which at once caught the
attention of anyone who had the privilege of being his companion.”
As for his absent sense of humour, we can only
with difficulty take seriously the following passage from his instructional
book, Mountaineering Art.
“For the purpose of becoming familiar with the balance and ‘feel’ of an
ice-axe, and at the same time training the co-ordinance of hand, foot, and eye,
the axe may be thrown into the air, caused to revolve a determined number of
times, and caught on the descent, in either hand, as a good step-cutter should
be ambidextrous. This is done while
running down a steep slope without stopping.”
If Harold Raeburn’s ghost lingers anywhere, it
will surely be found haunting the great ridges and buttresses of Ben
Nevis.
Sunday was a washout, but homage had been paid.
6-8
September – Glen Rosa, Arran
Present: Nina (Meet Sec); Brian; Anne; Jo;
Fiona M, Nina, Ariane, Mark, Valerie, James, Amanda, Graeme, Ruth and Scott
On
Saturday Brian and Anne climbed Caisteal Abhail and returned via the Witch’s
Step. Jo and Fiona climbed Goat Fell
from Corrie, while the rest of the party also headed for Goat Fell via the path
from the campsite. This mass ascent of
Goat Fell enjoyed bouldering on every available boulder on the way! and ended
in the bar in Corrie for too many pints on empty tummies, a group “moon” for
the camera at the bus stop, before getting the bus back to Glen Rosa and
heading off for a sumptous meal in a local pub/restaurant.
Unfortunately
Sunday was wet and a visit to Brodick Castle was the extent of the adventure.
20-22
September – Ling
Present:
James (Meet Sec); Brian; Anne; Peter; Helen; Rosemary.
Bad
weather on Saturday put pay to any ventures on the hill that day. In better conditions on the Sunday Peter,
Helen and Rosemary climbed Beinn Eighe via Coire Mhic Fhearchair, while Brian;
Anne and James traversed Beinn Dearg west to east.
11-13
October – CTC Hut
Present:
Charlie (Meet Sec); Keith; Fiona and Calum
A
select meet for the cyclists, though less of the meeting as one half of the
party stayed at the hut on Friday night and the other half stayed on the
Saturday night.
25-27 October
– Annual Dinner – Atholl Arms, Blair Atholl
Present:
Jo L (meet sec); Valerie L; Andy R; Scott; Ann MacD; Claire; Mark L;
Valerie; Anne L; Nina; Willie; Ally; Aileen; Bill M-R; Bob; Cathy; Lesley;
Mandy; Anne M; Brian; Robert F; Fiona; Emma; Jamie; Gordon; Rae; Hillary; Rona;
Amanda; James; Alan M; Keith; Ken; Frank; Lindsay; Nora; Neil; Clare; Gavin;
Martin; Richard; Jenny; Pamela; Rosemary; Ruth L; Simon L; Debbie; Steve; Tony
K; Fiona; Catriona; Elspeth; Tony B; Sheila; Rebecca; Dave; Anne; Ben;
Christine; Bruce; Elaine; John; Paul; Sue.
So many people, so many things done, but my
wee memory fails me when trying to recall everyone’s adventures. A few climbed hills, a few camped, all ate,
most ceilidhed the night away. Many
drank, but the bar closed disappointingly early (but probably saved our
heads!). The coffee shop in the mill is
definitely worth the visits!
15-17
November – Roshven
Present: Neil & Clare, Steve &
Debbie, Callum & Fiona, Rosemary, Tony K, Steve, Simon & Ruth, Brian,
Anne, Tony & Sheila, Martin, Tony Bl, Jo.
FMC
Juniors: Gavin (6), Cormack (4), Lewis (2), Heather (12 mths), Rebecca (8mths)
It
was a very popular meet, and for what I think is the first time, resulted in a
ballot being drawn for those attending. We had set a limit of 18 adults. Had
only one or two more tried to book on we would probably have squeezed them in,
but when 23 put their names down we felt we had to draw a line somewhere. So sorry to those who were unlucky in the
end and lost out in the ballot.
To
make things worse for them they missed out on a stunning weekend. The forecasts
had been changing constantly from gales & torrential rain to just OK, but
in the event none were quite right as it was brill. We had gorgeous autumn sunshine, crisp days, fab views and not a
drop of rain, or at least not until late Sunday evening.
As
ever a variety of pursuits were followed – a few Corbetts climbed, (including a
successful return to Streap; An Stac; and Sgurr Ghuibhsachain beside Loch
Sheil), some low level walks with kids (well they were high level from the kids
perspective), cycling, visits to Castle Tioram, and fishing. Even the fishing was successful with a good
catch of keepers, and Gavin reeling in his first ever catch!
As
usual we had the cosy meal for 18 on the Saturday night cooked by Neil. Gallons
of vegetable soup, enough coq au vin to feed the masses, and heaps of rich
chocolate torte to finish us all off! Despite some long days I’m not sure any
of us had done enough exercise to justify all we ate. However it was an
excellent meal followed by an evening for mellowing out.
It
was testament to how good a weekend it was that at 6pm on the Sunday there was
still a full complement of people at the house / coming off the hills. None of
this rushing back early ‘cos of crap conditions. Steve Reid & Debbie, Tony
& Sheila, Rosemary & Steve Roberts opted to stay on for a day or two to
make the most of a good weekend break.
To
soothe Mark’s wounds at failing to get on this meet, Nina and Mark made an
alternative little trip up to Creag Meagaidh for a solo trip up Easy Gully? (I)
in exciting conditions (very mushy snow on slabs at the bottom, but lovely neve
on top half of gully), before heading back to defrost in the warmer climes of
Edinburgh and see an incredibly scary movie in the cinema!
6-8 December
– Christmas Dinner – Muir of Inverey
Present: James, Bob, Neil & Clare, Steve
R, Pete & Helen , Rosemary , Steve Ro, Brian, Anne, Hillary, Richard,
Martin, Tony Bl, Mark, Valerie, Tony K, Keith, Tiana, Jo, and Sarah.
Friday
night saw the FMC heading north laden with enough bicycles to start a shop (at least
one each!), enough food to feed an army (large) and a not inconsiderable amount
of drink. The weather had a moderately wintry feel to it, with snow above 600m.
On
Saturday, various parties set off for widely separated objectives. Brian, Anne
and Hillary cycled up the hill track above Invercauld and ascended Culardoch
and Carn Liath - both summits, allegedly, surpassing 2500’.
The descent was accomplished (eventually!) in the dark, with both Anne and
Hillary taking unscheduled excursions into the outer darkness beyond the track.
Tony,
Richard and Martin also cycled off, heading up Glen Quoich towards Beinn a’
Bhùird. The track above the Quoich has now been filled in, part of the National
Trust’s policy to restore these areas. The subsequent ascent to the summit
proved an excellent opportunity to practise navigation, as the top thousand
feet or so was wholly snow-covered and in mist - although odd glimpses down
into the corries gave some impression of the spectacular scenery below.
Jo
and Sarah cycled up to Derry Lodge and ascended the hill to the north, while
Pete and Helen ascended Carn na Drochaide. As for the rest of the party, I’m
afraid details are lacking… but suffice to say the cooking was well attended
to.
The
usual monstrous turkey was duly roasted and welcomed by Helen in her
re-configurable tee-shirt- which at this point read ‘Merry Xmas FMC !’ but was
later re-configured to convey a quite different message (exercise for
anagrammers)! The dinner was also notable as it was the occasion of the 20th
Ilieve Christmas Pudding, an event commemorated in the usual flaming style.
However the most unusual event of all was that Keith was back in time for
dinner!
In
spite of the usual excesses, some activity was observed on Sunday - Brian and Anne
bagged Carn na Drochaide, Hillary, Tony and Martin cycled up Glen Derry, but
other activities failed to be noted by the meet sec.
Another
memorable dinner!