Ben Starav, Beinn nan Aighenan and Glas Bheinn Mhor 3 Oct 2020

A day in Glen Etive with a Steven Fallon group. A wet forecast but two of the three summits were in fact clear. A remote feel and very boggy terrain throughout, with the streams rising rapidly after the deluge started. Glas Bheinn Mhor was the first peak of the day at 3,271', then a pleasant out and back to Beinn nan Aighenan, 3,150'. Ben Starav was the third and highest summit of the day, 3,537', and our descent was complicated by coming off on the wrong path and having to traverse some slippery awkward boulders to reach the (itself steep and slippery) descent path. A long day but satisfying, down as dusk descended. Munros #260.

Inaccessible Pinnacle (Cuillin) 19 Sept 2020

This was it. Could I climb the Pinn? Guided 1:1 of course. We headed up and suddenly there it was..... the Inn Pinn rearing up from the ridge. Suddenly, I was at its base and climbing on a rope, in two pitches. The rock was very grippy gabbro, and it felt safe in the sunny dry conditions. The difficult step was negotiated without difficulty, I reached the halfway point, then the ridge was narrowing and suddenly I was at the top, 3,235', amazing views along the ridge, and across to Bla Bheinn. The hardest part for me was the descent, as I climbed down rather than abseil into oblivion. The descent was a bit of a daze, relief moxed with euphoria. The Cuillins completed. Munro #257.

Beinn Sgritheall 18 Sept 2020

Another stunning day of West Highland weather, "day off" from Skye today so I headed to Arnisdale via Glenelg. A steep and slightly boggy ascent led to another unrelentingly steep pull, up onto the eastern end of the summit ridge of Beinn Sgritheall. Spectacular views as I headed west along the ridge to the summit itself at 3,195'. a superb panorama ( described by Sir Hugh Munro himself as the best from any of his peaks) from this isolated summit, from Skye, the Cuillin and the Inner Hebrides round to Torridon, Glen Shiel, and the Ben to the southeast. Loch Hourn was spread out below me and sparkling in the sunlight with the Knoydart peaks rising to Ladhar Bheinn itself. The descent was also steep but through superb oak forest. A brilliant day, Munro #256.

Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir (Cuillin) 17 Sept 2020

The next three days were pivotal to my quest to complete the Munros. Guided by Dave Buckett, of Highland Mountain Company, today our target was the northern end of the Cuillin Ridge, the iconic view from Sligachan. We headed up Glen Brittle and round the shoulder to the east, then up the SE ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean. A cautious slide over the increasingly narrow ridge led to the tiny summit (3,166') seemingly up in the sky, in the patchy mist. We then descended the W ridge (with an 20m abseil en route) then from the ridge, and in increasingly bright/sunny conditions, ascended Am Basteir, bypassing the bad step to the summit at 3,068'. The pinnacles of Gillean looked dramatic as we headed down to Sligachan with my penultimate Cuillin Munro conquered. Munros #255.

Sgiath Chuil and Meall Glas 15 Aug 2020

The final two Munros of the week, en route home and accessed from the A84. The cloud lifted only slowly during the day. The first summit, Sgiath Chuil, was in cloud, the summit being at 3,067' after a steady, fairly steep climb. Next, a steep descent and re-ascent led to a long ridge and the second summit of Meall Glas,3,150', dramatically poking its head out of a cloud inversion in the evening sunshine, as was Ben More to the south. Munros #253.

Derry Cairngorm and Beinn Mheadhoin 13 Aug 2020

A day of shifting cloud and views through the mist. another start from the pinewoods at Linn of Dee. The bouldery slopes of Derry Cairngorm led to the cairn at 3,789' and my 250th Munro! We then dropped down through the huge, empty bit dramatic landscapes to Loch Etchachan and views of the towering cliffs below Ben Macdui coming and going in the cloud, before the steep pull up onto the summit plateau of Beinn Mheadhoin and the summit tors, the highest being at 3,878'. A scenic but long walk out back to Linn of Dee. Munros #251.

Devil’s Point 10 Aug 2020

A superb day accessing the Cairngorms from the south, a long approach ended by Corrour, then an ascent of the steep slopes behind the bothy onto the ridge of Devil's Point and the summit cairn poised over a steep drop at 3,294'. Views north to Braeriach and Cairn Toul, and east across the Lairig to Cairngorm. he still conditions meant that midges were troublesome even by the cairn. On the walk out the cloud lifted and the sun increasingly illuminated the heather slopes along the glen and the shapely peak just conquered. Munro #249.

Ben Avon 9 Aug 2020

A beautiful cloudless sunny day at the start of my week at Braemar with Jennifer and Matthew. A long but superbly scenic ascent of Ben Avon from Keiloch, a gradual but steady ascent through Glen Quoich and past the ruins Slugain Lodge. then up the wide, gently sloping glen with Beinn a' Bhuird rearing massively to the west and the whole landscape a riot of heathery colour. On reaching The Sneck, a steeper gravelly climb brought us to the massive summit plateau of Ben Avon, with the summit tor at 3,842'. A superb viewpoint especially of the other Cairngorm giants to the north and west. An equally long descent, but mostly heathery ground so fairly easy on the feet - a total distance for the day of 23 miles. Munro #248.

Beinn Dubhchraig and Ben Oss 21 July 2020

A fine day in the southwest Highlands and a chance to bag these two Munros, which I’d wanted to climb for a long time. The approach from Dalrigh is on good though boggy paths all the way, initially through a patch of remnant Caledonian forest, then alongside a stream and waterfalls. The path rises steadily up the flank of Beinn Dubhchraig from the east, and then an easy climb south leads to the summit at 3,205’ with a panoramic view of Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alps. Then back down to the bealach and a more strenuous ascent up the flanks of Ben Oss, which from its 3,373’ summit has a close up view of Ben Lui in the foreground, with an array of peaks stretching north across Glencoe and the Black Mount as far as the Ben Nevis, clear of cloud for once. The descent requires a reascent of the bealach before the boggy path back to Dalrigh. A day of sunshine and white clouds before high cloud rolled in ahead of an approaching front. Munros #247.

An Socach (Deeside) 20 July 2020

At last ! Back in the mountains, and the spacious horizons of the eastern hills, in fine, breezy and showery conditions interspersed with sunny glimpses. A pleasant walk in from the Invercauld entrance on the A93 lead to heathery slopes up to the 2km-long summit plateau of An Socach, with the summit at 3,097’ being at the western end of a very gradual stony incline. Views north to a rather dreich and showery Cairngorm massif. Munro #245.

No hillwalking yet .........

10 June - So this is the week that we should have been in Ullapool - the weather today up in the Northwest is typically dreich, but there have been a couple of good days, so it's possible that we would have been able to tackle Fisherfield. Let's hope that the mountains open again as Nicola S gradually eases the lockdown, and we can salvage part of the Munro season...….however, the mountains will still be there when things return to normal ……..

Spring 2020..........

As of early May 2020, we have now been on coronavirus lockdown for 6 weeks. This has unfortunately coincided with an amazing, warm, dry spring in the Highlands, and as I write the sun continues to blaze down. My Cuillin completion trip for later this month has already been cancelled, and our June trip to the Northwest has a large question mark hanging over it... desperately hoping that the lockdown is eased sufficiently to allow some hillwalking, bearing in mind that it doesn't involve large crowds, it allows social distancing, and we can go self catering! In the meantime, I am consoling myself with the amazing photos that are currently being posted on Twitter, and dreaming of future times when Scotland is accessible once again. Here's to future Munros...….

Sgurr Thuilm and Sgurr nan Coireachan (Glenfinnan) 25 Jan 2020

An early start to the 2020 season..... an unseasonably mild week, with melting of most of the lying snow preceded my day with a Steven Fallon group. Daylight being at a bit of a premium in January, we started from Glenfinnan shortly after first light, with broken cloud and a southerly wind as we headed up the glen, subdued but striking winter colours in evidence, and meeting some very tame Red Deer stags for company. We walked anticlockwise to take advantage of the prevailing wind, most of the exposure being on the ridge as we descended. We ascended into cloud at around 650m and we stayed in cloud for the rest of the day, so no views. Sgurr Thuilm was the first Munro of the day at 3,159', and a few snow patches lingered near the summit. The walk to the second Munro is preceded by several significant "bumps" or false summits, but eventually we climbed up fairly steep rocky slopes which levelled out to the trig point and shelter on Sgurr nan Coireachan, fractionally lower at 3,136'. Unfortunately the views of Loch Arkaig and the West was obscured, but the wind was less than forecast. The descent was steady, and walking out we just beat the darkness back to the car park. Munros #244.