Tobar nan Ceann Gang

Craig  -  William  – -   Jock  -  Stuart

The West Highland Way is now a 96 mile epic walk from Milngavie in the Glasgow suburbs to Fort William in the Highlands of Scotland. Originally 95 miles long, it was recently (very unnecessarily) extended to take in the delights of Fort William’s High Street, but hey, what’s another mile after walking 95!

It was Stuart’s idea to walk the West Highland Way. For a long time now he had set himself a goal of completing the walk by his 50^th birthday and as that will be in May, this really was the ‘last chance saloon’!! So accompanied by Jock, Marek, Willie and myself, we set out to walk the 96 miles in 5 days – a tall order in anyone’s book but necessary to minimise the number of holidays that we would have to use for the trip. Hammy agreed to drive a support van which was invaluable and he was accompanied by his dog Cooper and he also got saddled with looking after Jock’s dogs Nip and Bonnie for most of the trip!

Our previous TNC adventures have been easy to write up because by and large, the events encountered had been shared by all. The West Highland Way was a 5 day hike from Milngavie in Glasgow to Fort William in the highlands. Make no mistake – it hurt and when it hurt the most then you were less likely to be marvelling at the scenery and be focusing solely on achieving the daily objective. Individually, we all hurt at different times and consequently we will all have our own memories and recollections of the walk, making it a very personal experience. This is just my story.

One thing we would all agree on though, is that in advance of the walk, snow was coming down by the bucket-load and the forecast for the next few days was grim. Thank goodness the weather forecasters were hopelessly wrong!

Write up by Craig Hall.

Click The Links Below

Day 1 (Wednesday 4^th April 2012)
Milngavie to Cashell Camp Site – 22.5 miles

Day 2 (Thursday 5^th April 2012)
Cashell Camp Site to Beinglas Farm – 18.5 miles

Day 3 (Friday 6^th April 2012)
Beinglas Farm to Bridge of Orchy – 18.5 miles

Day 4 (Saturday 7^th April 2012)
Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven – 21 miles

Day 5 (Sunday8^th April 2012)
Kinlochleven to Fort William – 15.5 miles

  Craig’s West Highland Way Photos

• Day One
• Day Two
• Day Three
• Day Four
• Day Five

Jock’s West Highland Way Photos

Stuart’s West Highland Way Photos

This walk was arranged as a practice / training walk for our up and coming West Highland Way walk in aid of Soldiers off the Street – Scotland.You can find out more details over at SotS-Scotland website or SotS-Scotland FaceBook

Hart Fell Photo Gallery

Marek’s quality video of our walk over Hart Fell Ridges

Report by Craig Hall

Driving up the M6 motorway towards Scotland on Saturday was a strange journey. The weather forecast was showing bright red, severe  weather warnings for snow and ice in the Moffat area, but the view through the windscreen was of clear blue, sunny skies. As we approached Carlisle, the picture changed and the heavens opened. Any thoughts of being lucky seemed dashed! Thankfully, another 20 miles later and we were back to blue skies and that set the picture for the rest of the weekend.

After a good evening in Moffat and a lovely stay at the Hart Fell Hotel, the gang met up early on Sunday morning. 6 of us this time – Craig, Jeff, Jock, Marek and Stuart were joined by Wendy who was given a (very) temporary, one day’s pass to join the TNC Gang!

We had a map and directions but still managed to get a little confused at the start – unsure where to leave the road and head into the hills. We could see the majestic outline of the horseshoe before us – the tops covered in snow looking very inviting. We hadn’t been expecting a lot as the area didn’t conjure up many thoughts of big hills, but the combination of blue sky, snow covered peaks and warm (ish) sunshine led to a feeling of excitement and eager anticipation.

Having decided on a route, it was only a short distance from the road to the foot of the first climb, hardly giving our muscles the chance to warm up before it was straight into a very tough ascent. We had been pre-warned that the paths were a little ‘faint’ and we weren’t disappointed! But largely the overall route was pretty obvious – it was just a case of getting to the top of the first hill (Black Craig – 2100 ft) and then following the ridges down one side of the valley and then back up the other.

The footpath snaked up the side of a gorge cut out of the side of the mountain by an ancient stream. The going was tough and extremely steep as we zig-zagged up the side of the hill following the narrow sheep trails. All our efforts on improving fitness were temporarily masked and deep breathing was heard from all quarters! Even Marek seemed a little tired although he had kindly gone the whole of the previous night without any sleep just to put us all on an even playing field…!

Eventually we made it to the top of the first section and after that, the gradient became less steep. As we gained further altitude then there was more and more snow lying on the ground and any scarves, hats and gloves that had been discarded on the initial ascent were quickly retrieved as the temperatures plummeted.

The trail then continued around the ridge towards the summit of Hart Fell at the far end of the valley. Midway along we encountered a pinnacle jutting out into the valley close to Swatte Fell (a 2392 ft Donald). With its steep sides and prominent position it was a great place to rest and have a photo taken before carrying on. Eventually we made it to the trig point that marked the summit of Hart Fell, a 2651 ft Corbett.  As always we marked the achievement by standing on the trig point and having photo’s taken – much to the amusement of some other walkers who assumed that this was a special occasion rather than just getting to the top!

Our new acquaintances (complete with their ice axes for a couple of inches of powder snow) kind of ‘cramped our style’ and our stay at the top was prematurely ended to escape to a quieter place to have lunch. Lunch proved to be a swift affair as it was far too cold to keep the gloves off for more than a few minutes!

The return to the car was a much more ‘up and down’ experience than the outward leg. First though we had to cross a ‘largely’ frozen bog as we headed up towards Under Saddle Yoke (2444 ft)  and then Saddle Yoke (2411 ft ). I say largely frozen as Wendy managed to find a deep bit that wasn’t frozen… haha!

As is usually the case, coming back down proved to be a painful experience for a few of us – very sore knees on the steep hillside. By the end of the walk we were all pretty shattered and headed back into Moffat to have a well earned drink and bite to eat at The Black Bull.

Another fantastic day for the TNC Gang and more good training for the upcoming West Highland Way.

Hart Fell Photo Gallery

Thanks to some good fortune we found ourselves with a bonus free weekend and the opportunity to do a little hill walking before the winter sets in. The late arrangements meant that there weren’t many of us on the trip – just Craig, Jay, Jeff and Jock, but it was a good walk nevertheless!

The Indian Summer was in full swing in England – 27 degrees in Bolton at the end of September is pretty much unheard of! In typical TNC Gang style we decided to head for Arrochar in the South Highlands of Scotland to explore The Cobbler and discover the only place in the UK where it was raining and miserable!

So the question had been – where shall we go? The answer was easy really and having seen pictures like the one above we knew that we wanted to do “The Cobbler”! Officially known as Ben Arthur, The Cobbler is 2900 feet high (848m) which is just short of being a munro, but its a great challenge nonetheless!

We left early on the Saturday morning to meet up with Jeff at Charing Cross in Glasgow. Marek had planned to join us but work intervened at the last moment leaving just the 4 of us. The drive up to Arrochar was broken into 2 with a welcome stop at McDonalds in Balloch at the foot of Loch Lomond, for breakfast. The rain was still falling steadily when we got to the car park on the banks of Loch Long. The loch is a sea loch and is tidal (when we got the tide was out). It is 20 miles long and extends into the Firth of Clyde at its south eastern end.

The walk got underway at about 10.15 and started with a trek that meandered back and forth up the steep hillside  away from the loch. The path went through forest, some of which had been cut down leaving swathes of seemingly unmanaged rough ground which is now peppered with the omni-present Himalayan Balsam - a nuisance everywhere you go these days. After the initial climb the layers soon started to get peeled off – it may have been wet but it wasn’t cold! For a while the walk was reasonably flat.

Visibility was poor and there was no sign of the peak that ought to have been clearly visible by now. Along the way we  saw many more walkers on the route – most notably Alex who was from the Czech Republic and spent much of the walk with us.

Along the route were many massive boulders which were pretty slippy in the conditions. The path also criss crossed lots of small streams that were getting fuller as the day went on. Had the conditions allowed, we would have known that we had got to the base of the main climb up to the summit. Our only clue was the obvious change in terrain as the path started to climb sharply upwards into the mist. Dotted around were plenty of small caves and cracks and crevices in the hillside. Some were like giant rabbit warrens although seemingly “too small for my girth…” – cheeky sods!

Eventually we made it to the top of the main climb and were presented with a choice of left or right to access the main pinnacles of The Cobbler. We elected to go right first and after scrambling up some large and extremely slippy polished rocks  we reached the North Peak which was marked by a small cairn. The views were non existent but it was apparent to all that the drops on all sides were substantial! As at Scafell Pike four weeks earlier, there wasn’t much time for hanging around, just a quick picture and away! We returned back to the ridge and then ascended the Central Peak which has the iconic rock and marks the true summit. Conditions however took a turn for the worse and the rain was heavy which (luckily as far as I’m concerned!) ruled out any chance of scrambling up onto the rock.  Again, there were a few quick pictures and we were away back down the hill.

The walk down was marked by an improvement in the conditions and the clouds parted to give us a view of the summit that we had climbed. Once we got to the bottom the tide was in and the loch was looking much better!

It was then appropriate to find a pub to toast ourselves – and Ben Arthur’s Bothy was just fine! In total we had been out walking for around 5 hours and had covered 7.2 miles. In better conditions we may have chosen to extend the walk to take in the adjacent Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain but that will now have to wait for another time…

Click here for summary details from the GPS or here to download the GPX file for the route.

View The Cobbler Photo Gallery

Skafell Pike

Back down to the Lake District for the latest adventure of the TNC Gang, this time to tackle England’s highest Mountain – Scafell Pike and to try the scary looking Via Ferrata on Fleetwith Pike at Honister. The weekend was also going to be the first time of staying in a Youth Hostel which given our ages, seemed inappropriately named!

Stevie and Jay were TNC debutants for the weekend and they were joined by Hammy, Jock, the two Johns and Toba from north of the border and Craig and Neal from Bolton. Previous TNC trips had seen some pretty favourable weather – not this time!!! Has anyone ever been any wetter?!

After very early starts from our homes we met up at Seathwaite in time for us to make a start on the hike just after 9am. The plan was to ascent Scafell Pike using a route in a recent ‘Trail’ Magazine that would also allow us to conquer 2 other Wainwrights – Scafell and Great End. As we set off from Seathwaite Farm, the rain was coming down steadily, the hills were shrouded in mist and the forecast was gloomy. The rivers in the valley bottoms were running fast and deep whilst the becks and waterfalls on the sides of the fells were white with fast, cascading water.

Given the conditions the initial progress was quite slow and it was obvious that the longer planned route, wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste. So we divided into 2 groups. The two Johns and Toba went off to Wasdale whilst the rest of us battled on up the hillside.

The higher we climbed the gloomier it got. We followed the path as best we could but there were times when we just weren’t certain where we were going! We did our best with the maps and GPS but eventually, soaked to the skin and waning in enthusiasm, we abandoned plans for a longer route and concentrated on getting to the top of Scafell Pike.

The route was made easier by the presence of many cairns marking the way. They were a godsend in the conditions and for all those campaigning to have them removed – think again! The upper slopes of Scafell Pike are characterised by large boulder fields. They were very slippy and awkward to cross and progress was very slow. Eventually though we made it to the top. Any expectations of feelings of euphoria were replaced by relief and a desperate struggle not to get blown over!

We didn’t stay long and promptly set off back down the hill. We chose to return to Seathwaite via Esk Hause and after a couple of wrong turns we were back on track and clambering over boulders, following the cairns. Much of the return was alongside streams which were still raging and thunderously noisy! On many occasions we had to try and cross them – ordinarily that would mean nothing more than stepping across but today it was about jumping, hoping and getting very wet feet!

Finally we returned to the car at Seathwaite Farm, surprised that the 2 Johns and Toba hadn’t yet got back down the mountain. Theirs is a separate tale…!

It was a good walk and very challenging in the conditions, but this is one that I would like to try again in the future – just in better conditions!

Youth Hostel

Overnight accommodation was arranged at the Borrowdale Youth Hostel. It was the first time that we had used any of the YHA properties and any worries about us being too old were well wide of the mark! If anything we were possibly the youngest of the 80+ people staying on Saturday night!

Having booked accommodation for 8 of us we were allocated bunk beds in the one 8 bunk room that they had… not ideal! The facilities were good though. Thankfully they had tumble dryers as well as a drying room; cooked meals (and kitchen facilities for anyone wishing to cook their own) and perhaps most importantly – alcohol was available from reception!

The fact that there was 9 of us meant that Jay had to stay at the nearby Gillecombe Bed and Breakfast accommodation. It was warm and comfortable and he was mothered by the landlady who made sure he was fed and watered and that all of his clothes and boots were warm and dry by the morning!

Sunday 4^th September

Woke up with a slightly dodgy head but pleasantly surprised that I’d enjoyed a full nights sleep considering I was in a room with 7 other blokes! Thankfully the rainclouds of yesterday were replaced by bright blue skies and warm sunshine which was a relief for us all.

After a reasonable cooked breakfast at the Youth Hostel, we paid a visit to Keswick to see the Castlerigg Stone Circle. The circle is around 4,500 years old and is surrounded by fells on every side, a fabulous setting and well worth a visit, even if it isn’t quite on the same scale as Stonehenge!

But looking around the ancient stones was only really filling in time, waiting for the main event. Unfortunately the Via Ferrata wasn’t booked until 3pm so there was a little more waiting still to be done. This gave those not taking part the opportunity to leave for home and so goodbyes were said to the two Johns, Stevie and Toba.

After enjoying coffees and then lunch in Keswick it was soon time for the Via Ferrata which is located on Fleetwith Pike at Honister. Via Ferrata actually means ‘Road of Iron’ and involves ascending the steep rock face by standing on step irons drilled deep (hopefully!) into the rock. At all times you are harnessed and clipped onto a steel cable for safety but there are still places where fear strikes home!

There were about a dozen people in our party and after putting on the harnesses and hard hats it was time to make a start on the initial ascent up the mountain. The advertised 4×4 transportation turned out to be an old bus, but no worries as we bagged the back seat! There were also a few children in the party which took away any apprehension that I might have had!

After a brief walk through dark and wet mine tunnels we arrived at the start point on the cliff face and attached our harnesses to the cable. Every few metres or so, we would reach a point where the cable is fixed to the rock and so the harness had to be unclipped and then reclipped on the other side. Having two clips meant that you were always clipped on – unless you were daft enough to unclip them both at the same time!

At this point it’s probably worth mentioning that they don’t allow you to use your own camera. I thought that that was just so that you would purchase the official photographs, but its probably because a camera is easy to drop… gutted!

Anyway, its fair to say that I have had sweaty palms every time I’ve thought about the Via Ferrata for weeks. But in all honesty most of the climb wasn’t scary. I felt totally secure on the harness and had no problems leaning over the edge – totally reliant on the safety equipment. Possibly the hardest aspects of the trip were the ascent of vertical ladders (which relied quite a bit on upper body strength – not exactly my forte!) and climbing round corners that required a very long step – pushing out your foot and hoping to feel something secure to stand on!

Mid way through the ascent was a zip wire crossing which added to the overall experience but in truth that was over just a bit too quickly! After that it was back on the steel rope and up to the top, passing a few psycho mountain sheep that make light work of the terrain. Group pictures were taken at the top before a speedy walk back down the hill to the café that was now closing for the day.

All in all the activity lasted for about 3 hours and was very good value at £35. I personally think that it would be very good to help anyone overcome a little fear of heights – I know it worked for me!

Why not have a look at the weekends photo’s, Scafell Pike Weekend Photo Galleries