Journal 2003

There were 18 club meets throughout 2003 with plenty of members enticed out to the hills and meets generally very well attended. It was not a particularly snowy winter but there was some good winter climbing enjoyed at the meets to Jock’s Spot and Mill Cottage. Easter saw some glorious weather when the club went into Strawberry Cottage, apparently the hottest place in Europe. The club trip to Skye in May was disappointingly soggy, and the BBQ meet in June was strangely poorly attended for what is normally a popular outing up north.

In the summer months the good weather returned, with a cracking climbing meet to the CIC hut on Ben Nevis and a very fine family meet to Glen Feshie.

The Annual Dinner Meet at Birnam House Hotel was very well attended with 66 people turning up to dine and dance, and the year that had started with plenty of food and song at the Burn’s Supper meet in Crianlarich, was rounded off in fine style at the Christmas Dinner Meet at the Muir of Inverey.

Those of the members that enjoyed a good summer of climbing on rock also ran a competition to nominate the finest climb of the year. And those of us whose excursions are a bit more pedestrian, due to the toddler needing to be carried in a backpack, still managed to get up some mountains and enjoy the highland scenery….. ASB.

Burns Supper Meet, Ochils Hut, Crianlarich, 26-28 January 2003

Present: Brian, Anne, Tony K, Rosemary, Pete, Helen, Nina, Jo, Calum, Steve, Debbie, Morag, Neil, Martin, Simon, Ruth, Graeme, Ruth, Tony B, Tony B (Meet Sec).

The 2003 Burns’ Supper Meet was held in the Ochils Hut in Crianlarich, the originally planned venue of Loch Ossian being closed for refurbishment. Accounts of the how the hills were on Saturday varied from: ‘beaten back by wind and rain on Ben More’; ‘just a moderate wetting on the way to Cruach Ardrain’; to ‘dodging the showers and getting good views in Glen Lyon’.

All parties were back in good time so as not to miss the evening fare, some making sure by spending half the afternoon in the pub next door. After the discussion on whether to “nuke” or boil the large haggis, and every pan available being used to cook copious quantity of neeps and tatties, the meal started with scotch broth. Brian then did the presidential honours of addressing the haggis with the traditional Burns and a knife; the lot was then polished off washed down with wine, whisky and trifle before the evening turned to song. A varied collection of music and verse was conjured up for the remainder of the evening from various books being passed round; including some more Burns, and a rare edition of the FMC songbook. On the Sunday some headed direct back to Edinburgh, while some others braved the damp conditions to walk off some of the added weight from the night before.

Lagangarbh, Glen Coe, 7-9 February 2003

Present: Amanda, Peter & Helen, Suzie, Mark, Fiona & Calum, Kenneth, Graeme (Meet Sec), and James.

Saturday was decidedly wet, and not at all a day for the tops. Pete and Helen therefore went to Fort William.

A large party, comprising Amanda, Fiona, Suzie, Ken, James and Graeme, drove to Kentallen and set off on foot up Glen Duror. Here formerly dwelt James of the Glen, whose unsound conviction and hanging in 1752, for the murder of the Red Fox, stirred the highlands from end to end and inspired passages in Stevenson’s novel, “Kidnapped”. According to Seton Gordon, “the identity of the real murderer has never been disclosed by the few families who have handed down the secret from one generation to another……The hanging of James of the Glen has left an impression on the district almost as profound as the massacre of Glen Coe. The wind that drifts up the narrows of the sea loch and the mists that crowd in upon Beinn Bhéir still whisper the secret.”

Spruce trees now seemed to cover much of the glen, adding little to its scenic appeal but providing welcome shelter on a dreich February day. Beyond the watershed the path was boggier and more exposed, and at least one awkward burn-crossing enlivened the descent to Ballachulish, where a car had been left. As local girl Suzie proudly pointed out the local attractions, no one was uncharitable enough to quote our late member David Gilmour’s song “The Wee Toons”, with its envoi:

      "But wid the folk frae Blantyre, hae never been sae foolish
      As tae build in fair Loch Leven, a toon like Ballachulish."

In the evening Mark and Calum arrived from Edinburgh, bringing the meet to full strength.

Sunday was a better day. Amanda, James, Ken and Graeme had an enjoyable outing on Buachaille Etive Beag, with good views down Loch Etive and across to Bidean nam Bian. Now and again the wind whisked up little snow-devils, which Ken poetically called “sithean na gaoithe” or some such Erse, but conditions on top were generally pleasant.

Meanwhile Fiona, Calum and Mark had gone skiing at Aonach Mor, and Pete, Helen and Suzie had left for home.

Not perhaps a vintage weekend in the Coe, but far from being a washout. - GDM.

Jock Spot’s, Laggan, 21-23 February 2003

Present: Brian (Meet Sec), Anne, Mark, Ken Moore, Jo, Fiona, Tony K. Steve, Pete and Helen.

This meet marked a return to a popular venue, which is a convenient staging post between the Cairngorms to the east and Creag Meagaidh and Nevis to the west. However, the lease for the hut is now under negotiation between JMCS Edinburgh and the estate owners, which hopefully will be resolved quickly so as to allow further visits to this excellent venue.

There was a good turnout and there was good winter conditions on the Saturday. Tony and Steve used bicycles to ride into Lochan na h-Earba and then climb Beinn a’ Chlachlair, it was extremely windy on top so a walk along the ridge was exchanged for quick up and down. Jo, Pete and Helen made more conventional approach to Beinn a’ Chaorainn west of Creag Meagaidh, which has wonderful cornices on the east side of it’s north-south ridge. Anne walked to upper headwaters of the Spey to climb the Corrieyairack Hill (which is a Corbett!).

Brian, Mark and Ken headed for Creag Meagaidh for some winter climbing, Ken’s long stride proving too fast on the walk-in, so he was sent to the back to save the embarrassment of the others getting left behind. Having reached Creag Meagaidh they climbed The Last Post (Grade V), enjoying some of the best conditions ever experienced on the mountain.

Fiona joined the group for the Sunday but the weather alas turned windy and mild. Ken and Mark retreated to Fort William; Steve, Pete and Helen took the super direct option home; whilst Tony, Jo, Brian, Anne and Fiona enjoyed a walk in the Abernethy woods.

Inver Croft, Achnasheen, 7-9 March 2003

Present: Brian, Anne (Meet Sec), Fred, Nina, Graeme, Ruth, Simon.

Another meet of two halves: reasonable weather on the Saturday, but appalling wet weather on the Sunday forcing evacuation of the hut.

The weekend starting quietly enough, with the group meeting up on the Friday evening and transporting their belongings across the duck boards to the hut.

On Saturday Fred and Anne climbed Little Wyvis, approaching by the same track as for Beinn Wyvis. Brian and Nina headed for the Coire Dubh Mor buttress of Liathach to attempt George, a 200m grade III climb, unfortunately they were repulsed at the crux by a shortage of ice at an altitude of 950m and 50m from the top of the climb, and were forced into retreat by abseil. Graeme, Ruth and Simon climbed Beinn Liath Mhor from Achnashellach station, traversing the mountain before descending back to Coire Liar.

The weather that had started bright on Saturday morning became overcast in the afternoon with snow then rain arriving. The company enjoyed the usual culinary and alcoholic excesses while the rain and wind lashed the hut.

By Sunday morning it was clear that the water level was rising on the loch, and it was soon decided to evacuate the hut before the duckboards were covered by rising tide. Brian and Anne were the last to leave the hut, as a result of having to make two journeys to take everything back to the car, and they found extreme difficulty balancing against the gusty winds as the water lapped at their feet.

Mill Cottage, Kincraig, 21-23 March 2003

Present: Calum, Morag, Fraoch, Pete, Helen, Steve, Debbie, Rosemary, Brian, Anne, Nina, Tony, Graeme Tough, Ruth, James (meet sec), Amanda. part time: Mark, Laubie, Pete.

Another well attended meet, with excess bodies littering the living room on the last night. The majority of people travelled up on the Friday night. Calum went fishing on Saturday morning and had already got his excuses in (too cold, too bright, wrong day of the week etc.), but this thin facade was exposed when he admitted to catching six of the beasts, which were duly transported back to a freezer in Edinburgh.

Saturday was a lovely day, with many trips up the local hills, and a few trips to the Northern Corries for some steep ice. Brian, Nina, Graeme and Ruth went into Coire an Lochain, both pairs climbing Oesophagus (grade III 70 m) and Brian and Nina returning to the corrie and climbing The Vent (grade II 100m). The climbing conditions were quite lean for the time of year and the snow and ice became soft in the warm sunshine. Anne took a long walk up Glen Feshie to climb two remote Corbetts. Tony and Rosemary cycled up Glen Einich and Tony went on to climb to the summit of Braeriach, where he met Morag and Fraoch who had walked from Glen Feshie and over Cairn Toul.

Perhaps the stupidest trick of the day can be now exclusively relived with this snippet of dialogue.

0930 hours (start of walk):

James : These plastic boots are really uncomfortable, it feels like they're on the wrong feet.

Others: Do you want to stop and adjust them?

James : No, it's just that I haven't worn them for a bit.

…

long days hillwalk

…

1700 hours (back at hut):

James : Hmm, these inners don't look right! shouldn't they match the plastic outer?

Others: Duh.

Very late on Saturday Mark, Laubie and Pete arrived from an epic on the Ben. “Point Five” was in atrocious condition, and they had nearly died etc.

Sunday was also lovely and more trips were made in the same vein as the previous day, including Brian and Anne’s ascent of red gully in Coire an t-Sneachda, except for…. James, who embarked on a mammoth run; Amanda, who nursed her blisters; Fraoch, who lay in the sun; and the hard men from the Ben, who lay in the sun and drank tea.

A great weekend was had by all, and extended by Mark, Laubie and Pete who stayed up an extra night and went climbing in the Northern Corries.

Maybe I should finish with an observation about the club. It took nine cars to transport fourteen people to the hut, which is about one and a half people per car. Indeed the space outside the hut looked like Ferry Road in rush hour! I exaggerate of course, but for a group of people who are looking to get to the great outdoors and experience nature, it is a strange irony.

The Smiddy, Dundonnell, 4-6 April 2003

Present: Pete, Helen, Nina, Fred, Jo (Meet Sec), Brian, Anne, Keith

On Saturday Nina, Jo and Fred traversed An Teallach via Gleann Chaorachain, eventually dropping back to the Smiddy via Meall Garbh. Despite a few rather dramatic moments of high exposure, which rather terrified Jo, the trio got round smoothly and safely. Great views, wonderful weather, fantastic photos. Keith also summitted An Teallach, but ascended and descended using the path from the Smiddy.

Brian and Anne had an epic of day. They cycled from Gruinard Bay along the edge of Little Gruinard River. At a suitable point the journey continued on foot, with much negotiation of numerous burns, lochs and passes to get to Beinn a’ Chaisgein Mor- probably one of the remotest Corbetts, so a real bagging session! They returned to their bikes via the mountain’s north ridge with Brian taking a detour to Beinn a’ Chaisgein Beag, a seldom visited peak.

On Sunday Brian, Anne and Keith went up Sail Mhor, a Corbett to the west of An Teallach. Nina, Fred and Jo went for a long wander along the north edge of Little Loch Broom, parking up near Badrallach and taking the coastal path. Another very fine day.

The Smiddy continues to be a long standing favourite with the FMC, it being a small compact hut, but now with some nice improvements to the kitchen area.

Strawberry Cottage, Glen Affric, 18-21 April 2003

Present: Tony, Pete & Helen, Hillary, Ben, Christine, Keith, Steve, Jo, Steve, Debbie, Rosemary.

What ? Strawberries in April ? Well, to be honest, after a spell of amazingly good weather, even that might have been believable. The sun came out in the middle of March, and a month later no-one could believe that it would continue…. but it did (just !)

Strawberry Cottage is in a superb location at the west end of Loch Affric, and the club has had some memorable meets there (for all sorts of reasons) during its short history. It belongs to the An Teallach Mountaineering Club, who have done a great deal of hard work to provide a very welcoming hut in the middle of nowhere. It boasts twelve comfortable beds, wood/coal-burning stove, full gas cooking facilities and (the latest innovation) solar-powered lighting. The latter is an impressive bit of technology, although to cope with the vagaries of the local weather a small petrol generator is also provided. The one problem, especially for the more sybaritic of mountaineers, is that the hut is five or six miles from the road end- and there is no fridge.

Anyway, enough of this advertising. The question of how to transport 12 folk, a small mountain of food and a not inconsiderable amount of alcohol was neatly solved by two 4WD’s, four bicycles, a canoe and (wonder of wonders) two folk who walked !

Tony, Ben, Christine and Jo set off from Edinburgh on the Friday morning well-laden with, amongst other things, Tony’s latest toy, a Canadian canoe. The journey up was enlivened by the weather reports- west Scotland the hottest place in Europe (nearly)- and certainly Glen Affric was up to 240C by lunchtime. Thoughts of hills dissolved in the heat and a lazy lunch by the shores of Loch Benevean seemed more appropriate, the only fly in the ointment (sic) being the discovery of an alarming number of sheep ticks.

A leisurely trip in to the hut was deemed the order of the day. After a certain amount of searching a suitable launching spot was found for the canoe, and Tony and Jo set off together with all the gear, whilst Ben and Christine, lightly laden, set off along the north shore.

The trip up the loch was idyllic- hardly a breath of wind- and in spite of the load, the canoe slipped easily along. Definitely the way to travel ! Loch Affric is fringed by beautiful old Caledonian pine forest, and the views were spectacular- as was the sighting of an osprey, complete with a fish in its talons.

The one snag was that with the long spell of fine weather, the loch was quite low- maybe a metre or so below its normal level- so at the west end of the loch the water became very shallow. However there was enough to get to the foot of the short waterfall at the end of the loch. A short portage of a hundred metres or so then led to the upper river, leading (we fondly hoped) all the way to the hut.

At this point the weight of gear, food and alcohol became rather evident- not to mention 35 kilos of canoe ! Several muscle-wrenching trips later, the voyage recommenced and took us to within a few hundred metres of the hut. By this time help had arrived in the shape of Ben and Christine, and we were soon comfortably installed in the hut. (For future reference, in more normal water conditions, the river looks easy all the way from the waterfall.)

As dusk fell the rest started to arrive, led by Pete’s land-rover closely followed by the somewhat bone-jarred cyclists. Hillary arrived some time later in his new executive SUV, experiencing its first jaunt off the tarmac. The stars came out, not a cloud was in the sky….

Next day started early as Jo, Ben and Christine headed off at 0630 for distant hills. Some twelve hours or so later they returned, somewhat pinker, having bagged An Socach, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and Mullach na Dheiragain. At slightly more civilised hours the rest set out- Tony, Pete and Helen traversed Mullach Fraoch Coire and A’Chralaig, descending over A ‘Chioch; whilst Steve and Debbie started on the same route, but continued round to include Sgurr nan Conbhairean and Sail Chaorainn. Hillary, Rosemary and Steve R. traversed Mam Sodhail and Carn Eighe, with Steve descending over Sgurr na Lapaich. Meanwhile Keith, in traditional style, set out on a mammoth trek over Tom a’Choinnich and Toll Creagach; nearly walking back to the road to start ! The skies were clear, the sun was scorching and at one point Steve found it necessary to seek advice from a Norfolk pharmacy (guess who) on treatment for sunstroke- the wonders of mobile phones !

As the sun sank slowly in the west, Steve made a valiant (but unsuccessful) attempt to emulate the osprey.

Fortunately he and Debbie had brought something else to eat…. In fact, all indulged in the usual culinary excesses.

In spite of this there was once again activity at an unusually early hour the next day. The weather was even brighter, but much colder; was this the end of the heatwave ? Shortly after eight, Jo, Ben and Christine set off up Mam Sodhail followed somewhat later by Tony and Steve. The inhabitants of the nature reserve were out in force- an adder, a fox, deer, and (later) an immature golden eagle.

Meeting up on the summit in a cloud (what ?!!!), Steve elected to return, having unfinished business with the fish; meanwhile the others continued over Carn Eighe, and Ben and Tony made the long excursion out to Beinn Fhionnlaidh. The brief spell of cloud vanished, and the rest of the day was fine, if somewhat cool and windy.

Pete and Helen concluded unfinished business on Sail Chaorainn, whilst Steve R bagged Mullach Fraoch Coire. Keith decided on a shorter (!) walk and contented himself with Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and Mullach na Dheiragain. Hillary and Debbie elected to try the canoe, but found that the strong easterly wind presented quite a challenge- 3½ hours to Affric Lodge, 40 minutes back ! (It’s a canoe, not a windsurfer !)

At the end of the day a census established that the FMC had amassed some 46 man-Munros, not to mention a couple-Corbett over the two days; it’s no wonder that exhaustion was setting in.

The Monday was what, in normal times, would be considered a good day- low cloud, but dry. In fact it became bright and sunny as the day went on but by this time enthusiasm for the tops was lacking. The empties were loaded into the cars and the cyclists commenced their juddering return- meanwhile Jo and Tony enjoyed a pleasant paddle back down the loch against the moderating easterly wind, with Jo spotting the osprey again. Lunch back at the car was enlivened by mid-air attacks from chaffinches, obviously genetically engineered to become weapons of mass consumption. The introduction of sparrowhawks in quantity to address this menace should be seriously considered!

As we crossed Drumochter on the way south, the heavens opened ….

All in all a great weekend. I’m sure we’ll be back. Tony K.

Druim Bothy, Knoydart, 2-5 May 2003

Present: Tony Bl (Meet Sec), Richard, Fiona, Martin, Keith and Tiana and the Nordic Ski Club. Bob (non-member pal of Richard’s)

The club numbers were disappointing (4 + 1 guest) and this meet would not have happened had we not teamed up with the Nordic Ski Club (9) to share the price of the boat. We had a charter boat on Friday night (the small high power one) and our price of £15 per head included free ride on the scheduled boat out on Monday afternoon.

This was the last meeting for Tony on his old non-bionic hip. Accordingly he opted to stay with the Nordic ski club in the Inverie hostel rather than risk the 3-mile hike to Bruim Bothy with full kit. As it happened the owners gave the inhabitants a lift in at closing time on Friday night.

Saturday weather was reasonable at low level and clagged in at high level. Tony and Tiana went for cycle rides. Richard, Bob, Martin, and Fiona did epic things on Meall Buidhe and Luinne Bheinn. Bob was heard to state that he was “cream crackered” when he arrived considerably later than the others back at the bothy. Keith and some of the Nordic Ski club did Meall Bhuide and Ladhar Bheinn.

In the evening the Nordic ski club went to the Pierhouse Restaurant. Tony declined an invitation to join them in favour of a haggis meal at Druim Bothy with the FMC crew (big mistake). Despite stoking the potbelly stove with wood, the temperature of the haggis water hardly rose above tepid. The potatoes were meanwhile incinerated in the open fire. The mice were busy eating anything on offer on the ultra-clean worktop surfaces. After this delightful meal Tony battled back to base on his bicycle in the dark and rain.

On Sunday, Tony climbed his very last non-bionic assisted hill the Corbett Sgurr Coire Choinnichean behind Inverie. Rather symbolically, his boots fell to bits on the way down.

Meanwhile Fiona and Martin did Ladhar Bheinn while Richard and Bob adjourned to the pub. Sunday night we repaired to the Old Forge for food, which was disappointing. Standards have been allowed to drop since our last visit.

We returned by boat on Monday. The weather was fine.

Alternative Knoydart Meet, 2-5 May 2003

Present: Tony K, Brian and Anne.

This alternative meet was inspired by a plan to visit some remote hills above Loch Quoich by the ideal mode of transport for that part of the world- a boat!

Friday night saw everyone packed into Tony’s car together with camping gear, inflatable boat, outboard motor and all manner of ancillary bits and pieces. As the car turned west off the A9 the rain, already heavy, decided to become torrential. Plan A (camping at Roy Bridge) came under review, and Plan B was rapidly devised in the face of rising floodwater- stay at the Aite Cruinnichidh hostel. This proved a wise (and comfortable) move, and by morning the skies were clearing after a wild night.

By mid-morning Loch Quoich was reached. Energetic pumping soon turned the rubbery contents of a large bag into a boat, and before long, heavily laden with camping gear, we were heading up the loch. The initial section proved quite tricky as the water level was quite low, and care had to be taken to avoid various rocks and the remains of trees. The overnight rain had swelled the burns, and it was obvious that a walk along the shore would have come to an abrupt end at the thundering waters of the infamous Allt Chosaidh.

The head of Loch Quoich provided a comfortable campsite, and with the boat pulled well up all mod. cons. were unloaded and the camp established. After lunch, the party set off for Ben Aden, heading up its long eastern ridge. This proved to quite entertaining with bits of scrambling to be had in places. The weather held clear until the summit was reached, but on the descent the rain came on. The evening was wet and windy, but with the tent door shut a convivial evening was had by all.

Sunday dawned fair again, and after a leisurely breakfast the team embarked for a voyage across the loch to the remote northern side of Sgurr an Fhuarain. The best landing place proved to be on the west side of a burn, just near a small bothy which provided a convenient place to leave wellies! A good stalker’s path then led up the hill. The only problem was that it then started to rain…

The summit was reached in clag, and the descent was uneventful if wet. However, on reaching the shore, the burn was found to have risen somewhat- in fact rather more than somewhat! The wellies were rapidly recovered, but the burn looked pretty fierce. Brian and Tony managed to teeter across somehow, but Anne had a better idea- ‘why don’t you bring the boat round?’ – which we duly did. Useful things in Knoydart, boats.

Another wet night, but the tents stayed up and dry. Monday was drier but threatening, so we decided to quit while we were dry(ish) and packed up and headed back to the car. The wind of Saturday night was discovered to have fractured one of the poles of Brian’s tent such were the gusts experienced and mending it provided a challenge to Tony’s DIY skills once home in Edinburgh.

The trip back up the loch was very pleasant- definitely the way to travel!

Coruisk Hut, Skye, 16-19 May 2003

Present: Jo (Meet Sec), Brian, Anne, Amanda, Selena, Pete, Helen, Debbie, Rosemary.

All but Debbie and Rosemary got across to Coruisk Hut from Elgol on Friday night on board the Belle Jane. Unfortunately Debbie had dislocated finger getting to Elgol, so she and Rosemary headed back to Broadford and the local medical centre to get it sorted out.

Debbie and Rosemary managed to travel across the next morning on the RIB, which had been chartered by six other mountaineers (who set off in the direction of the Dubhs ridge – bad idea). The weather on Saturday was horrendous, with the rain barely ceasing. However a hardy team suffering cabin fever did manage to get out for an afternoon scramble and bog walk around Loch Coruisk.

Sunday saw a visit from the mountain rescue helicopter! The ground was so boggy by the hut though that it couldn’t land, but a runner soon told us that the 6 walkers who’d come in on yesterday’s rib hadn’t made it through to Glen Brittle and the Mountain Rescue Team were just checking they hadn’t holed out with us overnight.

A quick scour of Dubhs Ridge soon found them, so while three of the MRT chomped their way through our biscuits and tea, the walkers were winched to safety. Amanda and Debbie managed to get out for a scramble in the afternoon, and others went on a bit of a bird watching trip, but generally, the weather stopped most play

A great ride out on the RIB on Monday – definitely recommended as a means of transport for getting to and from the hut in future!

BBQ, Achmelvich, 20-22 June 2003

Present: Brian (Meet Sec), Anne, Mark, Valerie Cowie, Calum, Fiona, Heather.

This was the traditional midsummer camping extravaganza, which normally attracts hordes of people to camp in the far north and enjoy the long hours of daylight. This year however, for one reason or other, possibly including the damp weather that preceded it, attendance was restricted to a select few.

Brian, Anne, Mark and Valerie arrived on the Friday night and on Saturday headed for Reiff and did lots of routes on the rock there, in cloudy but quite warm weather. Mark and Valerie had another BBQ to go to on Saturday evening, but they were replaced by Calum, Fiona and Heather who arrived for weeks holiday in one of the caravans.

On Sunday the main mountains were misty and wet but the coast was much better. Brian and Anne drove round to Lochinver and then walked through to Ardroe, inspecting crags on the way.

CIC Hut, Ben Nevis

Present: Brian (Meet Sec), Jo, Nina, Fred, Gomba Sherpa, Andy, Pete, Graeme, Ken, Ewan, Terry, Ruth, Simon, Graeme, Rosemary.

This club visit took place on the weekend that saw the warmest temperatures in Great Britain with 100°F recorded as a British record. The weather on the Ben was not quite as warm as this - whilst dry on both days some mist rolled in on Saturday morning to spoil early promise of a clear day and Sunday started cloudy but got warmer later on.

Graeme, Graeme and Ruth ascended Raeburn’s Arete and then North East Buttress, whilst Brian and Ken tackled the Right Hand Route leading also onto North East Buttress. Nina, Andy and Gomba enjoyed the Long Climb, arguably the only true rock route of alpine proportions in the UK. Pete and Simon ascended to the summit of the Ben by Tower Ridge.

Terry and Ewan completed an impressive day’s climbing with an ascent of Centurion on the Carn Dearg Buttress. Fred ascended Carn Mor Dearg from the upper part of Coire Leis, then onto the Ben via the Carn Mor Dearg Arete and descended by Halfway Lochan.

Sunday was only slightly less impressive: Ewan and Ken doing Observatory Ridge, with Graeme and Ruth following on the same route. Castle Ridge also saw two parties: Fred, Andy, Gomba, Nina and Simon, followed by Brian, Rosemary and Graeme – who had given up on Raeburn’s Buttress after finding too much loose rock and too many midges in this sunless part of mountain. Jo went for a walk, Terry stayed in vicinity of hut having eaten or drunk something disagreeable and Pete went home.

This meet, and Saturday in particular, saw some of the best days summer climbing enjoyed in over 30 years of visits to the CIC hut.

Summer Rock 2003

The summer of 2003 provided a number of settled dry spells when conditions were ideal for Rock Climbing, particularly during August. To celebrate the many fine climbs achieved by the rock climbers in the club, a competition was arranged calling for nominations for the “climb of the season”. The listing of climbs were then put to the vote with the each rock climber in the club invited to select his or her top five in descending order, excluding his or her own nomination of course! We received a great list of nominations which included climbs from both east and west and with routes varying in both length and difficulty.

Once all the votes were counted, the winner was Eagle Ridge from Anne with Graeme’s nomination of Raeburn’s Arete on the Ben as the runner up. Anne and Graeme each received a bottle of wine at the AGM to mark their successful nominations for “climb of the season”.

For the record, the list of nominations were as follows:

a) Bottleneck Chimney, Glencoe (Andy ) 40m, Hard Severe (1941)

“Strenuous but well protected. The climb can be seen from the road and is recommended”

b) Eagle Ridge, Lochnagar (Anne ) 250m, Severe (1941)

“One of the finest climbs in the country. Bell’s most significant route inspiring generations of Cairngorm devotees”

c) Raeburn’s Arete, Ben Nevis (Graeme ) 230m, Severe (1902)

“One of the cleanest severes on the Ben. A superb route.”

d) Magic Crack, Northern Corries (Ken Moore) 105m, HVS (1981)

“A star route with a unique finger crack. The summer line of White Magic as seen on TV’s ‘The Edge’.”

e) The Long Climb, Ben Nevis (Nina ) 420m, VS (1940)

“An outstanding climb of Alpine proportions. The rock is good and the atmosphere impressive.”

f) Castle Ridge, Ben Nevis (Rosemary ) 275m, Mod/Diff (1899)

“One of the Ben’s great ridges with tremendous views over Lochaber”

g) January Jigsaw, Glencoe (Ruth ) 75m, Severe (1940)

“An excellent route with increasing interest with height. The final pitch is in a sensational position.”

h) Squareface, Beinn a Bhuird (Simon ) 90m, VDiff (1953)

“The superlative of superlatives, continuously exposed and in a remarkable position.”

Many thanks for all who took part in the competition! Brian

Family Meet at Glen Feshie Hostel, 22-24 August 2003

Present: Tony, Fiona (Meet Sec), Catriona and Elspeth, Tony, Sheila and Rebecca, Steve, Debbie, Lewis and Cormack, Neil, Clare and Gavin.

The summer of 2003 continued with another splendid weekend in the Cairngorms, where t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops were more the order of the day than waterproofs and fleeces!

The meet assembled at Jean’s comfortable hostel on the Friday night, well-laden with food, bicycles and sun cream. In spite of the minor handicap of a broken leg, Lewis’s energies were only diminished by an infinitesimal amount- but as bedtimes arrived, peace gradually reigned.

As ever, Gavin was up to greet the larks and soon had his family organised to head up Cairngorm. The commissioning of the new funicular and its bizarre rules meant that the ascent was traditional, starting from the carpark - apparently no tourists on the funicular are allowed out at the top. The day was splendidly warm and clear, with a superb view over most of the highlands.

Meanwhile Steve, Debbie, Lewis and Cormack embarked on a cycle tour- with the wonders of modern tag-a-longs, even a broken leg is no impediment. Tony, Fiona, Catriona and Elspeth likewise went cycling, starting from Loch an Eilean and meandering through the forest to a welcome tea-shop at Loch Morlich. Tony, Sheila and Rebecca headed off to the fastnesses of Abernethy Forest, sighting lots of trees but no wolves.

A sumptuous feast on Saturday night (pasta, pasta and more pasta!) defeated even the most ardent appetites, and everyone retired well stuffed.

Sunday was just as warm and clear. Outings were swapped - Neil, Clare and Gavin went cycling before repairing to the Highland Wildlife Park, which was also visited by Tony, Sheila and Rebecca (who saw lots of wolves as well as the trees!). Meanwhile Tony, Fiona, Catriona and Elspeth decided to tackle Cairngorm. A (very) leisurely ascent was rounded off by a visit to the top funicular station- which involves signing in and out, as bona-fide walkers are allowed in (presumably in the hope they will boost the profits of the gift-shop and café) before being ejected to resume their wanderings. Anyway, a drink sitting on a giant sofa before a picture window overlooking Glenmore provided an interesting contrast to the quiet summit.

Suitably sunburned, all returned to Edinburgh after a very enjoyable weekend.

Summer in a Backpack, the best way to climb a mountain

First, select a strong, healthy, fit porter to carry you up your selected mountain – however, if the only person willing to take you is your Daddy, then you will just have to hope that his wheezes and grumbles don’t mean he will peg out only half way up. Second, you need a backpack that is comfortable to sit in, affords a good view of the surrounding countryside, has storage space for your food, drink, nappies, wipes, change of clothes etc, and allows plenty of room for you to swing your legs to attract the attention of the porter if required.

Once on your way up the mountain you need to perform a number of checks on your porter as you go along. To check that his back is still lined up straight: move your weight from side to side in a swaying motion. To check his sense of balance when crossing rough ground: make a quick unexpected lurch to one side - this is particularly effective if he is mid-way crossing a stream. To check out his appreciation of his surroundings: point out every baa-baa that you see and make sure he looks too.

To ensure his concentration doesn’t wander and he starts dreaming of a time when he used to sprint up mountains with only half this weight on his back: tug at the small hairs at the back of his neck or pinch his ears to keep him focused. To test his hearing and alertness: drop soft items such as your hat or gloves - you will also be able to judge how much strength he has left in his legs when he bends down to pick these up from the ground. To test his sense of humour: repeat the previous test as often as required. Having carried out these checks for much of the way up, you may need to take a nap to recharge your energy levels for later.

Having arrived at the top of your mountain, take the time to bask in your success and enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains, satisfy your thirst and hunger, and prepare for the descent that you hope your porter will not make too bumpy should you wish to doze off again.

Take no nonsense about your successful climb ‘not counting’ and suggestions that you might have to do it again ‘walking on your own two feet’ when you are older – surely everyone knows this by far the best way to climb a mountain, you will just require a stronger porter.

Ling Hut, Torridon, 12-15 September 2003

Present: James (Meet Sec), Amanda, Brian, Anne, Peter, Helen, John, Peter ‘Son of’, Tony, Steve, Fiona.

The weather report looked decidedly iffy for the FMC as they headed up to Ling for a long weekend.

Saturday dawned dreich with cloud covering most peaks, prompting the majority of people to plan low level activities. One group headed south from the hut towards Maol Chean-dearg, skirting its slopes before heading towards the coast and (purely coincidentally) the Beinn Damph Bar. The rest of the crew settled in hut awaiting to see what tomorrow would bring. Brian and Anne’s arrival was delayed till Saturday evening having travelled via Aberdeen, and they had a very wet and unpleasant walk in from car.

Sunday was far superior. Tony, Fiona, James and Amanda plotted an epic traverse of Beinn Eighe. Heading up between Liathach and Beinn Eighe they broke up the northern nose of Sail Mhor to start a purists traverse. The views were spectacular as they scrambled on, past fuselage wall and up to the cliffs overlooking triple buttress. Pausing to drop their sacks they diverted north to take in Ruadh-Stac Mor sitting in splendid isolation. After returning to the main ridge the traverse continued until reaching the trig point, where James and Amanda bade farewell as they were returning to Auld Reekie that evening. After a little mental arithmetic involving the distance remaining on the ridge and the proximity of teatime, Fiona and Tony decided to join them on the descent.

Despite being revitalized by a poke o’ chips (nae sauce) and a can of juice around Inverness, James and Amanda were eventually reduced to changing drivers every ten minutes before finally arriving back in the big smoke. Meanwhile back in Ling….

Brian and Anne climbed An Ruadh-stac, a Corbett north of Strathcarron – Brian repeating the same walk as he had done the previous weekend (which must prove something), and Peter and Helen climbed Slioch.

On Monday Brian, Steve and Tony stayed up an extra day, climbing Beinn Alligin by way of The Horns and over the summits of Sgurr Mhor and Tom na Gruagaich, and enjoyed a beautiful day.

Cycle Meet, CTC Hut, 10-12 October 2003

Riders: Calum, Fiona, Tony, Martin, Charlie.

By Car/Watercarrier: Richard

As the weather broke with tradition by not pouring with rain, we too broke the habit of the last 15 years by heading straight down the main drag to Peebles, where we got milk and pies. We then did a bit of the Tweed Cycle way via the Manor valley to Lyne Station, and on to Dawyck Botanic Gardens, which were blooming lovely.

We arrived at 3pm, just before they ran out of homebaking due to unprecedented demand ie it was October and it was not pouring with rain and freezing cold.

As we left, it started to rain so we went the traditional way round to the hut and were waylaid en route by Richard.

Fortunately his car was able to be filled with water from the Crook Inn as the stream we usually use was too low to allow the mains flow into the hut.

The hut was fine apart from the water and a few lonely flies which provided good swatting sport while the fire was lit and tea was brewed.

The Crook Inn didn’t have a telly so we could concentrate on the grub and booze - haggis, shepherd’s pie and steak pie were the favourites and Broughton Autumn something or other provided the lubrication. The sticky toffee pudding looked better than the soup.

Tony got a slow puncture at the Crook but got back safely, and the hut was still warm.

On the Sunday after a leisurely breakfast we let the south east wind waft us back to Edinburgh.

In other words nothing much happened other than 6 people had a very pleasant time. Charlie

Annual Dinner Meet, Birnam House Hotel, 24-26 October 2003

Present: Bob, Cathy H, Mr & Mrs.H, Hillary, Rona, Martha, Keith, Amanda, James, Steve, Debbie, Nina, Andy, Fred, Rhona, Rod, Bill, Tom, Julie, Simon, Ruth, Richard, Martin, Jane (Cathy’s friend), Ruth, Graeme, Mike, Beate, Angela, Richard, Morag, Elaine (Morag’s friend), Alan, Mark, Valerie, Robert, Fiona, Emma, Victoria, Jamie, Tony, Fiona, Stuart, Gill, Bruce Hogg, Gill, Maureen, Andrew, Brian, Anne, Jo (Meet Sec), Ben, Tony, Andrea, Valerie, Jim, Mandy, Douglas, Lorraine, Karyn, the local doctor and his wife!

As has been the case when the annual dinner is accompanied with an after- dinner ceilidh, we had a massive turnout of 66 this year!

A variety of activities were carried out on the Saturday, which did include some Munro bagging as Valerie and Jo climbed Schiehallion amongst some pretty wild weather!

Saturday night and the meal; as usual, a magnificent fayre was served up by the hotel, Willie and his team excelling themselves again. The Ceilidh Express again gave us an above average performance, rewarded by the dance floor never being empty. As has become the tradition at Birnam, everyone made very good use of the fact that the bar stays open for as long as a resident is propping it up! We had more music and singing until the wee hours, with the last person finally going to bed as others were getting up!!! As can be imagined, not a huge amount exertion took place on Sunday – with the majority of folk managing to find Birnam Oak, and then drifting under the A9 to the Hermitage.

Roshven, 7-9 November 2003

Present: Neil & Clare, Steve, Debbie, Tony, Brian, Anne, Tony, Steve, Martin, Richard, Ailsa, Jo,

FMC Juniors: Gavin (7), Cormack (5), Lewis (3).

It was a good forecast for the weekend and a comfortable number of people booked onto the meet. All bar Tony K arrived at some time on the Friday evening. Brian and Anne arrived slightly later than expected after hitting a deer by Loch Laggan. The car could be driven but there was damage to the front and so they limped slowly to the house.

The forecast for once proved accurate and Saturday turned out to be a glorious autumn day. Steve & Neil climbed a couple of Corbetts south of Strontian. Brian, Anne & Steve climbed the west Loch Shiel Corbetts and the others tackled Roshven and some of the adjoining hills. Tony K arrived later on the Saturday having climbed Sgurr an Utha en route. By all accounts there were good views on the hills, but quite windy on the tops so the walking was quite hard going at times.

Meanwhile the FMC juniors, supervised by Clare & Debbie were tasked to prepare for bonfire night celebrations. The morning was spent collecting driftwood & fallen branches. Competition was introduced by building two piles of wood – adults & childrens’ piles, and trying to see who could collect the most. The truth be told the kids kept sneaking wood away from the adults pile to ensure they stayed in the lead. The afternoon was spent constructing a Guy. It’s amazing what you can achieve with 3 pairs of tights, 3 willing kids and a large amount of dried leaves. The kids weren’t even upset when we dressed the Guy in their old clothes. They were even more pleased when their sign ‘Penny for the Guy’ bore fruit when the walkers came back off the hills. It was a great evening for a bonfire on the beach. The Guy burnt remarkably quickly and the fireworks and sparklers made an excellent show.

As usual the rest of the evening was spent eating a large communal meal (lamb in Beaujolais, and plum crumble) followed by some mellowing out. It was not a particularly heavy night as people were recovering from their harder than expected days on the hill.

Sunday was misty in the morning so there were no early starts, but the day gradually turned to sunshine. Brian and Anne left early to drive slowly back to Edinburgh. The, s & Jo went to do a new nature trail at the end of Loch Moidart. Not a bad trail with good views and with far more climbing than anticipated. The rest of the party opted for the Eilean Shona expedition. A trip across the ford of Loch Moidart at low tide to the small island and for some a further walk to the larger island ostensibly to climb the hill. I believe however that this was changed to a walk round the shores of the island which proved quite hard going. Certainly a pleasant day was had by all. All in all it was a good weekend and a good introduction to Ailsa on her first meet (albeit not wholly representative of usual FMC meets).

Anne’s car subsequently written-off. CW

Patterdale, Lake District, 21-22 November 2003

Present: Tony (Meet Sec), Calum and Fiona, Richard (Steve R failed attempt).

It was very cold at night and out of the daytime sun. Websites were consulted (BBC and Met office) before going and they were displaying weekend minima for Penrith and Keswick of -8 and -9 degrees C. Calum posted a message on uk.sci.weather asking if it was likely to be this cold in November. Various responses damned the automatic website temperature generation and longed for the good old days of meteorologist generated forecasts. As it turned out it was extremely cold with a thick frost and temps recorded below -5 in the lakes, but on the other hand it was a very sunny weekend.

Richard and Tony stopped off at Uncle Frank’s Farm near Watermillock on Ullswater on the way there on Friday night. Frank is Richard’s Uncle, a most eccentric and amusing character whom if you met, you would probably recognise where Richard gets his sense of humour. Having stuffed ourselves on a previous visit on Margaret’s (his wife) home cooking, this time we had avoided having had anything to eat prior to arrival. The home-cooked cakes and biscuits on offer did not disappoint us.

We met Fiona and Calum in the Patterdale Hotel, which was fortunate for them, because the hut required local knowledge to locate. Steve, as we discovered on Monday, was less fortunate and couldn’t find the hut and went home to Edinburgh.

Saturday morning was the Rugby International final and Tony and Richard went for liquid breakfast and sausage rolls to the Gleridding Hotel to enjoy England’s victory. In the afternoon Richard and Tony climbed a small hill above Patterdale.

Meanwhile Fiona and Calum walked up Helvellyn, from Glenridding. As they approached the summit of Cat Sty Cam when they heard on radio that the English had won the rugby. Up Swirral edge to great views from the top of Helvellyn, quite a few people (only one in shorts!, surprisingly few for a freezing cold lake district peak).They heard some fearsome wailing from the summit and looked down onto Swirral Edge to see a woman on her hands and knees crying and total panicked whilst her boyfriend coaxed her to crawl further. Continued on to Dollywaggon Pike and descended via The Tongue- a fine walk.

Sunday was fine. Tony and Richard spent a good 2 hours trying to find the bottom of a mountain about half a mile South of Patterdale. These GPS gadgets are really impressive and easy to use, no wonder Tony can’t get his yachtmaster ticket. Meanwhile Calum went for a walk around the Lake. Fiona’s walk is not recorded.

The weather for the weekend was great. The potbelly stove in the hut really belted out the heat. The local hostelries and the scenery in the autumn were superb. An excellent place to stay, highly recommended.

Christmas Dinner Meet, Muir of Inverey, 5-6 December 2003

Present: Tony K, Tony B, Andrew, Maureen, Michael, Richard, Ailsa, Mark, James, Amanda, Martin (Meet Sec), Keith, Tiana, Brian, Anne, Neil, Clare, Steve, Debbie, Fiona, Rosemary.

Another fine spread of food was provided on the Saturday night. Many thanks to Rosemary for providing the Mince Pies; Neil for the home brew; Keith for the Broccoli and Apple soup; Andrew for the traditional and beautifully cooked main course. In keeping with tradition, Tony K’s trifles were eaten for breakfast. Against tradition was the unfortunate absence of Pete and Helen, however they were still kind enough to send along the pudding and brandy butter. In the absence of Pete and Helen’s brandy, Brian kindly donated a volume of his whisky hip flask which was used to flame the pudding. Brian swears that this was expensive highland single malt, but never trust a man from Aberdeen.

Those who braved hangovers and low cloud on the Sunday were rewarded with a rare treat. After ascending above Corbett level, the clouds abruptly ended. A warm blue-sky panorama was met with the Grampian peaks reaching out above the clouds.