The climbing club that I frequent has booked the Alex Macintyre hut at Onich, south of Fort William, for its New Year Meet, and I am looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with an area that I often visited when I was less grey! My experience of the Western Highlands at that time of year suggests that rain is much more likely than sun - or snow! - so I am looking at the lower summits in the area for activations. One or two point summits are surprisingly plentiful so I should be able to get at least a few activations logged, but there is a problem. Activators don’t seem at all interested in putting any information in the Resources section of the Summit Information pages. When it comes to the higher summits there is no problem, I can pull a book off the shelf that will give me the best routes up all the higher mountains - I probably wouldn’t need to for many of them, I’ve been up Bidean nam Bian by about nine different routes not counting roped ascents! However, the thing about SOTA is that it encourages you off the beaten track to find gems amongst the lower hills, and it is in those lower hills where help would be useful. So many of them are surrounded by farmland or forestry, and a bit of guidance about the best way up, particularly where forestry is involved, would be a very valuable time saver. Can I urge activators to put some guidance into the Resources section?
73
Brian G8ADD
PS I was amazed to see how much still remains to be done in GM/WS, there are no less than eight summits over 1,000 metres still unactivated, fourteen over the magic 3,000 feet, and some of them are mountains that certainly used to be very popular, such as Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan WS-006. First activation glory awaits the bold activator!
I reckon a word with our top activator would produce results as you will be staying in his back yard. I can recommend the summits accross the loch behind Ardgour & best of all the Corran ferry is free for foot passengers. Best real ale in the area was the bar on the Inchree camp / caravan site - if it`s still open, plus the small bar near the ferry jetty.
I use the times that Anquet gives me. It’s why it’s worth investing in programs like Anquet or MemoryMap instead of simply downloading maps from the web. These programs offer so much more than just mapping such as Naismith timings and profile info. I have the advantage of working with people who have done all the Munros, Corbetts and Grahams so get first hand advice for free.
I’ll ask if you want to email me some summit refs.
Hi, Andy, I’m not too bothered about timings and I have a fair collection of OS maps, its access and so forth that I am interested in: to give an example WS-341 looks a nice little viewpoint that the XYL could reach with me despite her stiff knees, and a track is shown to the mast, but it appears to start in the grounds of a building called just “Hall” and I would need to know if access by this track is permitted. I can find out on the spot, I suppose, but it uses time.
In reply to M3EYP:
Will you be activating any of the unactivated GM/WS SOTA summits while
you are in the area?
Probably not, Jimmy, they are very tempting but rather a long way from the hut and with long walk-ins for the shortest days. On this occasion we will probably stick to the Glencoe area and Appin.
Steve, good ideas there, the Corran crossing puts WS-206 in the frame, thanks.
73
Brian G8ADD (and now back to the chaos on 10 metres!)
"On this occasion we will probably stick to the Glencoe area "
It is compulsory to patronise the Clachaig Inn whilst in the neighbourhood & don`t forget the quaintly named Grog & Gruel in the Fort - they both have websites for your perusal.
It is compulsory to patronise the Clachaig Inn whilst in the
neighbourhood & don`t forget the quaintly named Grog & Gruel
in the Fort - they both have websites for your perusal.
Never been in the Grog and Gruel, but I was in the Clachaig when they introduced real ale - McEwens 80/- heavy, funny smell but great improvement on “Export”! Its a lowering thought that I had my first drink there nearly 50 years ago when they closed at ten!
