The Hills and Outdoors thread

[Elgindon]

Just back from a few days in Achilitibuie.I've always avoided this area,associating it with a sort of '70s OAP holiday destination,along with Gairloch,Poolewe etc.We were there for 4 days for our annual fishing/walking break(normally go to Harris).

  What a cracking little place.Great views over the summer isles from our S/C accom.Loads of varied walks into the hills,along the coast,trips out to the islands.Couthy cafes,and a bar along the road.Helps when the weather is never below 20oC,but thoroughly recommend.The fishing was good too   

 

IMG_4735 (2) by , on Flickr

[Elgindon]

Scotlands number 1  -  Sgurr Nan Gillean 964m

 

...as voted by the Scottish hillwalking community.We thought we'd try it out to see what the fuss was about.Sgurr Nan Gillean is the peak on the left hand side below,with the mist on the summit(click to enlarge photos)

 

IMG_4835 by [/url], on Flickr

 

Zoomed.The approach is round to the left and beyond to the South East ridge(not seen)

 

IMG_4841 by , on Flickr

 

The start point is up the road from the Sligachan hotel,Skye, about a couple of hundred metres,on the Dunvegan road.Once on the path,you cross 2 rivers,the Allt Dearg Mor,and the Allt Dearg Beag.After about an hour you reach the point below,where you dip down,then back up the grassy slope(first red arrow),onto a first level,then along and round to another level(second arrow)

 

 

Photo taken just after reaching the second level,and red arrow pointing to the start point of the final ascent up the summit ridge.There are paths and small cairns to guide you over,but its easy to lose them if you dont keep your eyes peeled

 

 

Arrow points to where we joined the ridge.We kept to the centre of the ridge until we reached a point where we had to go left or right because of a massive unclimbable rock.We chose to go on the inside left,and remained that side all the way to the summit

 

 

Small chimney route on the inside of the massive rock

 

 

A bit more clambery as you get nearer the summit  (a wee bit out my comfort zone).Takes a bit of trial and error,since theres no path by this stage,though you do find fairly easy options if you persevere

 

 

 

 

 

Then an 'airy' climb up to a tiny summit.Johns head chopped off for anonimity

 

 

Sun burst out just as we got to the summit  ,thankfully though,as you dont want to be wandering about there in the mist as we thought we might be.Total summit area is the size of a small living room,with sharp drops all round

 

 

Edit -  found a pic of the summit 

 

  Summary  -  Quite a long and rugged walk in,took us 2.5 hrs to the final ridge.Things dramatically change when you hit the final ridge to the summit(which took another hour). Views open up,exposure increases and a thrilling finale with fantastic views all round

  Bla Bheinn has the better views IMO,but this one fairly gets the pulse racing   

 

 

[manc_don]

Cracking photos Elgin, especially the last one!

[Elgindon]

  Left a cool Aberdeen yesterday morning for a trip to Dornie to bag a couple more Munros.Got there with temps at 28oC(bad enough),but also surrounded by a plague of clegs rather than midges.

  Didnt take long to decide not to bother.On the way back though,had a nip up Bennachie,where Ive never actually been on the true summit,and I think also a lot of other folks who think the 'Mither tap' is.

  Easiest(and best) route is to park at the 'Back o' Bennachie'(..far the Gadie rins) car park,between Oyne and Insch.Around an hour up,hour down for most folk

 

  At the top of the car park,there is a board showing where Oxen Craig,the actual summit is,and you get to it by following the 'Mither Tap' trail...just to confuse

 

 

 

Good paths all the way.The signs dont tell you when you have reached Oxen Craig,the summit.You could believe its the first one the path takes you to as you come out of the woods,but its the second summit behind that,

 

 

Summit

 

 

Looking east to the Mither Tap

 

 

 

 

 

[tom_widdows]

Just back from a few days in Achilitibuie.I've always avoided this area,associating it with a sort of '70s OAP holiday destination,along with Gairloch,Poolewe etc.

 

Don't worry mate. We locals always avoid Elgin purely because we have no desire to go there 

 

[Elgindon]

 

I was foolish,.....Foolish I say. So much so,we've booked the same place next year   

[tom_widdows]

Fucking NC500 Tourists!!

[rocket_scientist]

We did white water rafting today down the River Tummel. My first but will be doing many more. It was awesome.

 

My mate got thrown over within 5 minutes. The wifie (who with her teenage daughter drove up from Berkshire for two nights stay at Pitlochry JUST to do it) got thrown out and the boat went over her. It was scary at times but what a rush. The last double waterfall was 7 metres drop. If you land on one of the many massive rocks the wrong way, broken leg/face/back. Don't wait until your my age to get into it. It's class. Findhorn next.

[Obanred]

  Left a cool Aberdeen yesterday morning for a trip to Dornie to bag a couple more Munros.Got there with temps at 28oC(bad enough),but also surrounded by a plague of clegs rather than midges.

  Didnt take long to decide not to bother.On the way back though,had a nip up Bennachie,where Ive never actually been on the true summit,and I think also a lot of other folks who think the 'Mither tap' is.

  Easiest(and best) route is to park at the 'Back o' Bennachie'(..far the Gadie rins) car park,between Oyne and Insch.Around an hour up,hour down for most folk

 

  At the top of the car park,there is a board showing where Oxen Craig,the actual summit is,and you get to it by following the 'Mither Tap' trail...just to confuse

 

 

 

Good paths all the way.The signs dont tell you when you have reached Oxen Craig,the summit.You could believe its the first one the path takes you to as you come out of the woods,but its the second summit behind that,

 

 

Summit

 

 

Looking east to the Mither Tap

 

 

Lang time since i have been up Mither Tap, Dinna think i have ever made it to Oxen Crag?

[Elgindon]

Nah,think most folk assume Mither tap is the summit.The Oxen Craig route mentioned is quieter and far easier walking.

 

 

Rocket - That sounds ace.Knew about the river Tummel for rafting,but didnt realise the Findhorn was an option

 

https://www.adrenaline-hunter.com/en-GB/activity/uk/auchnagairn/rafting/white-water-rafting-on-river-findhorn-near-inverness/7095?_cid=110&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIut3CuPHd3AIVxbTtCh2txgbyEAAYASAAEgKHHfD_BwE

 

  While i'm at it,always fancied rafting down the Dee from Braemar to Aberdeen.Away for a search

 

EDIT  -  nah,nae full trips down the Dee,but a few untried options in here

 

https://www.activeoutdoorpursuits.com/category/activities/watersports/

[Elgindon]

Fine day out on the Strathfarrar 4 Munros yesterday.The drive up Glen Strathfarrar alone is worth a trip.Birch and pine clad hills,with lots of flat riverside camping spots up a remote glen,one of the bonniest in Scotland

 

  Approach to the 4 hills was quite soggy,but once above 500m terrain becomes some of the easiest Munro walking with mainly short cropped grass

 

 

  Approaching the 3rd summit,Sguur A Choire Ghlas

 

 

  View along the ridge from the 2nd summit,Carn Nan Gobhar,which was the stoniest section

 

 

 

  Fine day out,followed by a fine steak and pint at the Priory,Beauly.Nice to see the Dons scarf in the bar when thru to watch some fitba   

 

 

 

 

 

[manc_don]

Weekend out at Whakapapa ski field with work. Saturday was the best day, especially given the weather was predicted to be awful but turned out to be a bluebird.  Put a lot of JAFA's (Tom and Andrew will know) off from coming which was great.  Sunday was very windy but still beautiful weather.  Much icier but with views across to Mt. Taranaki in the West.

 

 

Top of Waterfall

 

 

Western chairlift

 

 

From up top!

 

 

Andrew, you made it out there yet?

[Elgindon]

 

Nice.Must be about the end of the ski season out there.Visited my sister in late summer last time in NZ.Weather was great,but everything was a bit parched by then,and said i'd make the next trip a spring visit to include skiing.

  How do the runs compare to Scotland,lengthwise? Looks not dissimilar in those photos

[manc_don]

Not too dissimilar at all, although I felt that Treble Cone (down south) was possibly longer.  I think my colleagues said they've been as late as November before, but i'd imagine it'll start to dwindle in October.  they've had plenty of snow (nearly about 3m on the mountain in total) so a decent base layer.  Apparently Mt Ruapehu's ski season lasts longer than those in the south island, but I doubt I'll be able to go up again this season.

[Elgindon]

 

Hints of winter at Pittodrie on Saturday,and confirmation on A'Chralaig on Sunday.White stuff is back,earlier than last year

 

[Elgindon]

Got some Kiwi guests over,giving them a tour of the N/E and stumbled across a few wee places worth a visit because of the time of year.

    Stopped at the Falls of Feugh where there were salmon were trying,and mostly failing to get up the main falls.Worth a watch.

  Also made for Loch of Skene at sunset.Didnt realise this was where various flocks of geese gathered from all directions at around the same time of night.Pretty impressive sight.Great sunset too.Parking space and path on the loch side road from Garlogie to Dunecht

  Wee shout out to Crathes castle - Great wee woodland walks,and adventure areas for the kids

 

 

[manc_don]

Cracking shot. Many a time trying to get the salmon at falls of shin, clearly should have gone here instead.

[Elgindon]

The Spey is also a good place for salmon spotting.We did the Speyside way from Fochabers to Garmouth at this time last year.Loads of salmon louping out the water on our way down.Dolphins and seals waitng for them at the mouth of the Spey

[manc_don]

We've been incredibly lucky so far with nature here  in Wellington.  Had some Southern Right Whales earlier in the year, get plenty of sting rays, the odd penguin, then last week we got a Leopard Seal relaxing on a beach and a couple of Orcas in one of the bays a couple of days later.  Managed to get some decent shots of the leopard seal.

 

It's a long weekend here so hoping to get out on the bike tomorrow.  Weather, despite the predictions, has been distinctly average 

[Andrew]

Andrew, you made it out there yet?

 

I was up there in January as I spent a weekend in Ohakune where my friend was woofing but have never skied there. Ohakune is a nice town. A lot of places were closed for the summer but went to a good burger place in the town called the Blind Flinch.

 

I'm unfortunately no longer a resident of New Zealand as my visa ran out. En route to whistler via Nepal. Spent a month trekking to everest base camp and annapurna base camp. Been brilliant - especially when you head off of the main trails and it gets a lot quieter.

 

 

 

[Elgindon]

Ben Nevis(Alternative route)

 

 

  We were meant to be doing a W/E of Munro bagging down in Glen Etive the other week,but had to quickly make other arrangements after hitting snow on the roads on the Dava Moor and further on,which slowed us down on what was already a tight schedule

  Decided to do a couple of the Mamores(Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean) on the Saturday,and would have a think about what to do on the Sunday over a bar meal at night.After much scratching of heads,ie "Nah,would take to long",or "nah,best doing those with another 2 in summer" etc.Eventually an obvious question that hadnt been asked was, "Emm,you ever done Ben Nevis?"  "Nuh!....You?"    "Nuh!" 

  So,we hatched a route that would include another Munro,Carn Mor Dearg,which would also avoid all the tourists on the dour slog up the other side.

    Going this way also gives fantastic close ups of Ben Nevis' north face,a steep rugged rocky ridge.Only down side to this route is having to traverse the Carn Mor Dearg arete,a narrow rocky ridge between CMD and Ben Nevis.Head for heights needed.

 

  Parked at the North Face car park at Torlundy just outside Fort William on the Inverness road.Once parked up,its just a case of following the initial signs saying 'North Face trail' which goes through the forestry,and follows the Allt A Mhuillin river up the glen

 

 

Not visible in the photo,but the path cuts off at an angle across the hillside to the summit at the left far end(Carn Mor Dearg),drops down to the arete,mid photo,which links you round to Ben Nevis on the right

 

Below is the worst section of the arete.We probably wouldnt have done it in the snow if we hadnt been able to follow someones footsteps.

 

 

Gets easier the further round you get.Path zig zags up,steep but not difficult, and behind the rocky sections to the large flat summit

 

 

  From the summit,you take the tourist route down as far as the loch that appears,along the edge of the loch,and downhill to meet the original North Face path out of the forestry.

  Recommend it.Superb alternative.Ben Nevis summit is also one of the best viewpoints around.

We were nipping on sweatily to get back in time to watch the fitba(9hrs),but the book time says to allow 10/11 hrs which may also be a bit tight depending on hill fitness.Long summer day better.

 

[KennyFuckinPowers]

Got some Kiwi guests over,giving them a tour of the N/E and stumbled across a few wee places worth a visit because of the time of year.

    Stopped at the Falls of Feugh where there were salmon were trying,and mostly failing to get up the main falls.Worth a watch.

  Also made for Loch of Skene at sunset.Didnt realise this was where various flocks of geese gathered from all directions at around the same time of night.Pretty impressive sight.Great sunset too.Parking space and path on the loch side road from Garlogie to Dunecht

  Wee shout out to Crathes castle - Great wee woodland walks,and adventure areas for the kids

 

 

 

That is a cracker indeed min. Are you aware of places near where I am? Will take my old man, he's needing it.

[Elgindon]

That is a cracker indeed min. Are you aware of places near where I am? Will take my old man, he's needing it.

 

The river Ayr is the only salmon river Im aware of down that way,but I wouldnt know where any waterfalls or weirs are to watch them.On the Spey we just followed  a riverside path and watched them jumping randomly on all stretches of the river,in mid November

[KennyFuckinPowers]

The river Ayr is the only salmon river Im aware of down that way,but I wouldnt know where any waterfalls or weirs are to watch them.On the Spey we just followed  a riverside path and watched them jumping randomly on all stretches of the river,in mid November

 

Cheers Hendo, some of your pictures, in fact, most of them, are immense min.

[Elgindon]

Cant go wrong on the Munros when the suns out.Camera-Auto-Point-shoot.Salmon photo by Nephews wife,not me

 

heres some local walks.Get you up a Munro in no time https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/glasgow/ayrshire.shtml