Snow, snow and more snow...

Snow has been lying thickly even in Inverness for the past week, so apart from a few runs around town with my Inovates which grip well in the snow ice encrusted pavements, any forays into the hills require skis or snow shoes. Just to prove my theory I slogged in to look at a crag today with a cliff-base of about 550m on Sgurr na Feartaig. Not enough ice and the fact it took 4 hours to walk the 5km from Craig put paid to any climbing ambitions. Still, the ski-ing has been fantastic and looks to stay that way for a while as most forecasts indicate no real change in the weather.

The demoted Munro near Morusig.

Ski-ing the Farr access road with Owen on Saturday.

Before we got that huge dump I walk/ran over Cul Mor and Cul Bheag with Dave and Jonathan a couple of weeks ago. We lost Jonathan on Cul Mor who having already bagged Cul Bheag opted to check out the sub-marilyn near Cul Mor 'just in case'. Despite dire warnings from the guidebooks the ground between the two was reasonable and the final slog up Cul Bheag eased by a motorway of a path. It was one of those days which will stick in the mind for a while and minutes were spent on the top marilyn-spotting. The easy-paced round trip of 4.5h surprisingly straight forward.

Cul Mor from the path to Cul Bheag.

An Cabar Strathbran

An Cabar is a small hill (558m) in Strathbran Forest on the south shore of Loch Fannich and a short outing (1.5hours) from the A832 near Achanalt. It is a pretty straight forward run following a well defined stalkers path/quad bike trail up to the loch. From here the undulating ridge is relatively (relative to the rest of the surrounding hilside) dry to the trig point. The views were fantastic especially to the north and east. Coming down I headed south west cross country to meet up with the path near the forest boundary. Although wet, the running was good and reached the car just before the rain started.

This ruined boat on the bank of Loch na Curra seemed out of place in the middle of a hillside at 350m altitude.

A random picture that I took last weekend over by Abriachen.

Paddy Buckley 2010?

After a year of getting used to a baby boy and too much work, next year is going to be the one to 'finish off' the classic three 24 hour rounds. So far I have enjoyed the Bob Graham (2006) and the Ramsay (2008) - more so for the training rather than the runs themselves. Perverse perhaps, but there is always such an air of expectation around the actual attempts. The excuse to go running into the big hills at night is always such a draw to me, so Paddy Buckley's round is quite an attractive prospect. Plus it would be nice to explore parts of Wales that I haven't been to since I was a teenager. Also despite good races this year, results are just good race results and nothing more. So next year I want to have a bit more of an adventure.

Last week as part of a trip to in-laws who live near Aberysthwyth I decided to do my first reccy to have a look-see and get my training kick started. The leg from Aberglaslyn to Pont Caegors seemed suitably short with a scheduled (to a sub-24h schedule) time of 3.46. Almost from the off I got lost in the woods above Aberglaslyn following a marked footpath which unfortunately didn't go to where I wanted to go. Next time I should just stick to the stream and head towards to left of the ridge past the old buildings. So I was seriously hacked off with the whole enterprise before I had even begun! Once I was back on the route to Bryn Banog I calmed down and jogged the easy ground - the grass was short, the bogs shallow and the tussocks small. From the top of Moel Hebog I encountered the first of a couple of very steep grassy downhills. Lethal in my worn out fell shoes and my dodgy ankle, but useful information all the same. And I began to enjoy myself.

The rest of the run was straight forward and fun - always following well defined paths or trods on easy running terrain with the only tricky bit Y Gyrn which was coated in thick heather and just seemed a bit pointless and a mere pimple to boot.

Towards the end of the leg the ridge after Mynydd Drws y Coed got decidedly slippery with a bit of scrambling, not helped by the torrential downpour which had just passed overhead. Cautiously edging down some slabs I heard some clattering above and a rucksac descended towards me on parcel string. An older walker followed the bag and seemed relieved to have got back to easier ground. Did he have the parcel string in his bag by chance, or was it in his normal hill walking kit to help him out of such a predicament?

Coming off Y Garn was a mild disaster as I got the line completely wrong. I had tried to stick to the marked paths, but would have been better off heading straight towards the forest and pick up some roads in there. Still, by the time I reached the road only 3h20 had elapsed so under schedule and a couple of chances to save even more time.

Tomnabat Hill Race

Where has the summer gone? It seems to have rained for the past 3 days non-stop. So gone are the great running conditions. Replaced by the normal boggy state of affairs. Due to forecast I decided that if I wanted to get a race in it would have to be relatively close to Inverness. So Tomnabat Hill Race (AS 5.5km 380m or thereabouts) as part of the Tomintoul Highland Games was chosen in preference to Glamaig on Skye.

Arriving in the driving rain in Tomintoul, I discovered that most of the events had been cancelled but the hill race was still on. I had never run the route, but had heard all sorts of rumours of man-eating ditches and head-high heather.

It was a pretty small field of runners at the start and I was soon at the front with Jason Williamson on the first track section and a guy running for Fife. After a couple of minutes we reached a gate, hopped over it and then headed up the unflagged section to the top of the hill. I didn't have a clue of where to go, other than up, but after an initially section of scrub, the heather was low and it was all runnable. Thankfully after the summit the route was well flagged again. I don't think I would have found my way down without them. Deep heather, trees and steep slopes all made more interesting by the amount of water in the sky as well as underfoot. After a very short section of estate road it was back up on a small track, initially steep but soon easing off, back over the shoulder of Tom na Bat. This last climb, wet again, dragged allowing me to finally get some distance on Jason. The drop down back to the road was slow. Flatter areas of bog were energy sapping and the slow progress downhill was dispiriting and I was paying for my efforts on the climb. By the time I was at the road it was only about 600m back to the finish and I was pretty sure I could hold on for the win. I dug deep and finally made it round the games field to finish in 32.06. The wettest race of the year so far!

It was a great tough race route and there were even the cash prizes at the end - despite the games effectively being called off. So no excuses not to treat Emily, my wife, and Owen, my son, to scones and hot chocolate in the great cafe at the Old Firestation in Tomintoul.

Orkney bagging

Blotchnie Fold on Rousay, Orkney - an easy 5km walk or run along tracks and way-marked RSPB trail with an added bonus of no skuas or other dive-bombing birds. From the summit we could just about make out the light house on North Ronaldsay and the headland of Noup Head on Westray. Despite the sun the cold wind picked up in the afternoon hastening a retreat to the pub by the pier to wait for the ferry back to Mainland.

Almost a week later I headed on my own to Hoy to run a loop of Cuilag, Ward Hill and Knap of Trowieglen. It looked hard from the map with steep drops and climbs between all three hills. I was also worried about the number of skuas on the island, having been regaled by very colourful tales of vicious attacks.

The foot passenger ferry from Stromness to Moaness was very busy and gave me about 7 hours on the island. I had had a bad cold so was a bit worried about the time pressure. The day was scorching and I was already struggling in the heat as I slogged up Culaigs from Sandy Loch reaching the top in 40mins. A short section of road having provided suitable warm-up.

The top was covered in large loose squared-edged blocks, which had strange pock marks on them and a myriad of cairns. Haze spoilt the view a little, but I could still make out the hills in Caithness and Sutherland, mainland Orkney and the islands dotting the perfectly calm sea to the north.

I dropped off down a steep hillside, on short grass and heather to start back up Water Glen - which unfortunately had no water. Temperatures away from the breezy ridges was horribly oppressive. A few angry skuas swooshed overhead, but did nothing worse than that. After getting through the tussocky flat ground the going improved and the gravel ridge up to Ward Hill was very quick underfoot. In total contrast to the baking glens, the top was freezing - cooled by a bitter wind.

The decent off Ward Hill was short but brutally steep and my thighs were screaming by the time I reached the road. I was fading on the climb and did not enjoy the trudge through the rough ground of Stany Hamars to finally reach the top of the Knap after about 2.5hours of running. I had had enough so I dropped into Trowie Glen to paddle, splash and scramble down the gully bed. Slower but much more pleasant and fun than stumbling down the tussocks.

A quick detour past the Dwarfie Stane, Britain's oldest rock cut tomb, and a jog down the road top the cafe at Linkness. I got the last portion of Cullen Skink and chilled out fishing off the pier until the ferry came.

Kintail LAMM

After the organiser's dire warnings last Wednesday of severe weather, the LAMM last weekend turned out to be the nicest mountain marathon I have completed. To be fair to them, the abandonment of the Welsh 1000er Race the same weekend gives an idea of what the weather could have been like. The weather was perfect - not too hot, good visibility and only the odd shower of rain with enough wind to keep off the midgies.

Kintail is a great area with plenty of hills on the various lists with a great network of stalkers paths, some in better nick than others. Al picked the B class and with my lack of long distance training it suited me to do something shorter too. Day 1 starting at Cluanie Inn was a interesting route, traversing into remote corries but avoiding too many tussocks or peat hags. The checkpoints were easy to find, although we messed up the only slightly tricky one due to me paying no attention to the checkpoint description. It was upsetting that we missed out on the summit of An Socach by about 500m. So a zero bag weekend for me.

The overnight campsite in Carnach (Glen Elchaig)was fantastic. Dry and grassy with even the sun decided to come out to dry our shoes. A far cry from my last MM experience sharing a tent with Henry Blake. There was about 2 inches of water sloshing about inside and a gale outside. Not very nice after having struggled around the Elite course on the OMM. Much more pleasant.

The less said about route choice on Day 2, the better. Our choice of route to the first checkpoint was inexplicable in the extreme. I can only blame our chasing start number, B13, for our idiocy. After that, once I had put my toys back into my pram, we had a great day in the sun. Enjoying some more fantastic running and some great downhills on our way back to the event centre to finish in 24 place.

The distance was about 24km on the first day and 20km on the second - both days much longer than any of my runs this year, but I seemed to cope pretty well with not too much soreness afterwards.

Meall Mor - Afternoon runs near Inverness

The back of Ben Wyvis seen from Meall Mor, a hill behind Evanton.

One of the easy traps to fall into is believing that Munros are the only hills worth going up and it is all to simple to get dragged into mindless bagging. Suddenly you can somehow justify a 3 hour drive there and back to some highest point of some heathery wasteland just because it scrapes into the infamous list that Sir Hugh complied all those years back. The cost of fuel and a distinct lack of time between nappy changes has made me explore areas much closer to Inverness.

About 30 minutes drive north of Inverness, just past the Black Isle and Evanton, there is a superb range of hills, some of which reach respectable heights of over 800m, which can be easily accessed either from Boath or Loch Glass. Even the proliferation of wind turbines hasn't detracted much from the great views north and west. The tracks built for the turbines, and older ones for the forestry or estate uses, allow rapid and easy access to the tops. Despite being so close to Inverness, the area is generally quiee and with a whole host of low level routes possible too (also with the bike), bad weather doesn't necessarily mean you can't leave the car.

Loch More

The other day I had a superb 2hour trip over Meall Mor from Boath and back via Loch More, linking up estate roads in a 10mile loop. As I sat by the summit cairns the views over to Ben Wyvis - much more spectacular then from the Garve road- and over to the far north west were inspriring. And I spent a wee while working out running routes for the future - a run up past Wyvis Lodge looking very alluring. The only thing I wouldn't recommend would be the direct descent from Meall Mor east to Loch More. The hillside got steeper and steeper as I scrambled down crags definitely not marked on the OS 1:50000 map. With hindsight a northwards traverse to the stalkers path, then down to the loch would be much better and safer!

Glen Feshie to Tarf loop

A couple of weeks ago my LAMM partner Al came up for some training. A mammoth run/walk from Glen Feshie southwards over 3 Corbetts and 2 Munros after a night at Glen Feshie bothy was set for day 1. Returning via 2 Munros back to the car at Achlean on the second day.

The bothy at Glen Feshie was fantastic and we had a good fire, drank some whisky and dried our shoes. Already wet after the 7km run from Achlean.

Next day, the 36km over to Tarf Hotel was hard. Starting with Leathad an Taobhain the days route was over a couple of other Corbetts (Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Mheadhonach) and Munros (Beinn Dearg and Carn a' Chlamain). A persistent gusty headwind coupled with mist and extensive bog made what I had hoped to be a 6 hour jog into a 9.5 hour slog. There was very little running and it took us a while to realise that following the grassier and drier stream beds was quicker than more direct routes over the tops. Reaching every top was hard graft and the temperature almost bitter. Not very spring-like. By the end my ears were ringing with the constant noise of the wind.

Reaching Tarf Hotel, set in a breath-takingly desolate landscape, we managed to find enough unburnt coal, scraps of bogwood and dry heather to get a half-decent fire going to keep the chill out of the air. We were so hungry we had to scavenge food - a pack of MoD Lancashire Hotpot saved the day. I could swear it had bits of lamb, but Al thought it was beef. An argument fueled by a full hip flask of Laphroaig Quarter Cask.

We awoke to sun, clear skies and a slight wind, which was from behind today.

The two Munros to the East of the bothy were quickly dispatched with easy running over short grass, setting off a huge herd of deer on the way. After dropping off the hills, the run down Glen Feshie back to Achlean was long, but the scenery was superb. Deep gorges with remnants of the old Caledonian pine forest made a stark change compared to the wide views of the wide straths and high rolling plateau of the Cairngorms. We nearly stepped on an adder basking in the springtime sun on the track. The first adder I have seen in the hills.

Despite the relatively easy day we still were on our feet for 5.5 hours.

Glen Roy

Glorious sunshine and balmy temperatures last Thursday.

I think the local inhabitants must have been a bit hacked off with the Ordnance chap when we came round asking for hill names. How else can you explain 3 Carn Deargs and 2 Leana Mhors in the same glen? Despite the lack of imagination shown in the names, it is a great place to link up Corbetts and Grahams. The air was a bit hazy which spoilt the views of the Grey Corries and Creag Meagaidh, but it was nice to be in the sun for once.

Hazy views and good running on Carn Dearg.

I set off up from NN330 909 on the south side of the glen up Corie na Reinich towards a shallow gully in the head wall still retaining a good depth of snow. The snow was steeper and more solid than expected with one small steep step that required the use of a sharp stone as an ersatz ice axe. I reached the top slightly more flustered than I would have hoped. The rest of the run via Carn Dearg and Leana Mhor was over short wind-blasted weather and grass, returning along the bottom of the glen back to the foot-bridge over the River Roy.

Winter is back - after a brief interlude

Quinag last Tuesday - just so I can remember what blue skies look like.

Winter is abck Jjust as I was getting used to all that sun. I think I even manged to get sun burnt last week during a brillant trip around 4 Corbetts up in the North West. The link up between Quinag and Glas Bheinn means a bit of a hike up the road, but it is so quiet and the views that good it doesn't detract from a fantastic circular route. Basically, I started up by the quarry carpark at the highest point of the road, traversed Quinag from South to North, dropped down to the road and finished up the North side of Glas Bheinn. Only 20km, but I was absolutely boxed by the end of it. Pushing the buggy up and down the canal doesn't equate to hill miles.

Quinag

On Saturday I raced the Craig Dunain Hill Race. Surprisingly, I got a pretty decent time (about 109% of the winner) despite having sore legs. It seems to be my downhilling that is still my weak point. I just don't seem to have the leg speed for the flatter bits. No problems with going up hill.

Looking over to the Munros of Glenstrathfarrer from Carn Gorm

Today, winter was back. I had a run up Carn Gorm near Cannich. Water, water everywhere... both of the liquid and solid form. My toes are only just thawing now. The brief glimpses of the surrounding hills and straths I got between snow showers were great, but the aweful running underfoot means I won't be up there again for a while!

Unfortuately, the high winds are set to continue, which is forecast to be followed by a rapid thaw. Sounds grim, and I just hope it is wrong as I still have a couple of days flex time to take.

Shetland Running

Looking North from Unst - th emost northerly inhabit isles in the UK

It's just that time of year again. I have a horrid cold and I just can't get motivated. A very snowy week on Unst (and my first Marilyn of the year) just showed me how bad I feel at the moment. A walk up Valla Field (200 odd meters) was more than enough for me, granted the snow was knee-deep, but I was shattered by the end of it.

After all my work visits up North, Unst definetly wins ' Best Island' award with friendly locals, a pub, a cafe (that is open and welcoming) and a swimming pool too. The less said about Whalsay, the better. Lerwick isn't bad for a storm-bound day and the sports centre is superb.

From a hill runners point of view I have been disappointed by Shetland. Probably due to it's strategic location, most high points on Shetland seem to be littered with communications (mostly military I think) paraphenalia. Invariably this means great big access tracks too, but the boggy nature of the rest of the hills together with a general lack of walking paths, sometimes makes them the only real feasible option. All of this stuff does reduce the raw asthetic beauty of the place. On the flip side the coastal runs and sea-scapes more than make up for it, which is why you would come to Shetland in the first place anyway.

Other than that since the XC season finished for me two weeks ago I have been mainly ski-ing. The dump of snow in Inverness was enough to even get Fairways Golf Course in to good nick. Plenty of hills, wide fairways (for bad skiers like myself) and being located next to the office surely make it the XC ski-ing venue of choice in Inverness. All gone now though, and even Abriachen on Saturday wasn't an awful lot of fun with about a foot of wet snow. Very slow going. We tested Owen's off road buggy today on parts of the Nairn XC course and it stood up pretty well. Just need to wait for the thaw and we will get his first hill bagged!

Shed loads of snow! At last!

Well the last 3 weeks have been hectic. Last weeks XC race in Nairn was a bit of a set-back. After such a good run at Inverness I was hoping for good things. A succession of interrupted nights though isn't the best thing for training or running so I was knackered before I started. The course seemed to be about half on sand-dunes and with a strong wind as soon as I was dropped from a group I struggled. No one to hide behind : ( The second half of the course was in the woods along technical single track. However, the course was for the most part flat so I lost time on those bits and to cap it off I got lost right at the end losing a couple of places. Still at 117% of the winners time not a total disaster.

Since then I have been cross country ski-ing and I think I will put the training on hold for a couple of weeks to get into this fatherhood thing! Anyway the snow has been great. The only issue has been finding somewhere to park! There must be a couple of foot in all the laybys south on the A9. It is great just driving 10mins to get to perfect snow.

Waiting, waiting...

Well the child to be is now 14 days overdue with no induction date set. I know the NHS do a great job, but they do seem to be so disorganised and the lack of information they give you is shocking. One minute they say Emily is going up to labour suite and the next they don't have a clue when she will be induced. Not good for Emily who has now gone 2 days without meaningful sleep. I certainly wouldn't want to embark on Ramsay's or the Bob Graham with a preparation like that!

Anyway, I am a wee bit stressed out so have had to resort to exercise to knacker myself out so I can get some kind of sleep. Fortunately the snow has arrived so I have got out for a couple of very early morning short cross-country ski-ing sessions (all close to Inverness for that possible dash back to Raigmore).

I also had a pretty decent run at the weekend cross country race. Although I didn't feel fast, I posted a good time (113% of the winner) on a fast course.

Off for a nap now : (

Central Left Hand - Cairngorm Conditions

We had grand plans today to go somewhere more interesting than Cories. However, lazyness won out in the end and we headed in to Snechda to do Central Left Hand (II). It was busy with climbers again, but most seemed content with the more popular gullies. I think The Runnel must have had something approaching 20 people in it at the same time. Conditions have improved as there is slightly more snow and icing than a couple of days ago.

Central Left hand was relatively quiet in comparison and was good fun with great hard snow.

Adding to the enjoyment there was a wee ice pitch near the top, which luckily was my lead. At least some screws had survived the unintentional gear-rationalisation i.e. we forgot it, which had left us with only two large hexes (along with some slings and ice-screws) for a rack. The ice was fantastic. With the brisk wind it was chilly on the top. A quick reminder of what winter is 'really' like up on the plateau. Just when I was getting used to all that Alpine weather.

Loch Morlich is still frozen by the way.

Chatting to some guys in Aviemore it seems as though there is some icing low down on Lurcher's but the top 100m or so is completely bare. So it was probably a good thing that we wussed out and opted for the safe option.

Roadside ice bouldering

As I only had a couple of hours to get out today, I checked out the ice formation up in Torr Breac on the A835 north of Garve. The waterfall I climbed last year in the woods was in nick again and I had a quick boulder on some roadside ice alongside the A835. Not quite La Grave though ; ).

Conditions East and West!

Yet more good weather! I am sure we are going to pay for it soon , but as long as the weather is good you may as well use it.

Tuesday 30th December saw myself and Kenny heading over to the Ben following reports of okay climbing conditions. I had something easier in mind than Thompson Route IV,4, but Kenny was keen and as long as he led the hard pitches I didn't mind. In fact it was a route I had been contemplating in a kind of it-would-be-nice-to-have-done-that . The narrow chimneys were well iced up, but the rock was dry allowing good rock gear placements. Embarrassingly I dropped my crampon from half-way up the first pitch. Miraculously, it stopped only 100m down on it's way to the CIC hut. I hopped precariously down No 3 Gully to collect it, but I was soon back up to the first belay. The first two pitches were nicely sustained and after an easier pitch (my first lead for ages), we got on to No 3 Gully Buttress which was rather bare.

Topping out to glorious sunshine again! The tourist track down was icy and tiresome and on reflection we should have dropped back down No 4. However, the lure of the sun and the views was too great on the day.

On the last day on 2008 I headed in with Juan to the 'gorms and climbed Spiral Gully with the direct finish (which I would really recommend) at III. It was extremely busy in the corrie, but the routes are holding up well. The footsteps in the gullies certainly make everything a wee bit easier than normal. Once again the skies were blue and there was no wind. A very nice way to round off the year!

With cold conditions set to last, the climbing will stay for a while yet. The paths are really icing up though : (.