I should have commented on the Ring of Steall. As a circuit this is done from Glen Nevis, and frankly I found the ascent and descent tiresome to say the least on both times I did it, a maze of heavily vegetated outcrops with a very discontinuous scrambly path making route finding difficult, but once on the ridge the walking is terriffic. Not recommended for SOTA but a must for hill walkers! What I would do is go up past Mamore Lodge on the Kinlochleven side and follow the zig-zag stalkers path in Coire na Ba to the col between na Gruagaichean and Stob Coire a’Chairn then from the latter top do WS-069 then back track to WS-037, then either descend by the way you ascended or go on to descend the track into Coire na h-Eirghe, longer but reduces the amount of ridge walking. WS-020 is best done as a single summit. Stob Ban WS-058 from Achriabhach (some parking at the bridge) is quite amenable.
Of course, it is quite a long time since I last walked in the Mamores, but I doubt that much has changed!
True, but my early impressions from nearly sixty years ago were that you had to earn those beautiful mountains by the penance of being in Scotland! It was a long tiresome journey to a land where it rained most of the time, the midges ate you alive, and as for the pubs - places as cheerless and comfortless as a British Rail waiting room full of gloomy people, where you had either Youngers Tartan or McEwens Export (ugh!) to drink and you had drink it quickly because in those days closing time was ten o’clock! I rapidly warmed to the country but that initial culture shock was a real downer!
I remember six of us on a walking trip to the Cairngorms trying to get a drink in a pub in Aviemore in August 68… needless we were as welcome as dog dirt on the soles of the locals’ shoes. Thankfully the welcome in recent times has been entirely different.
As for the summits, I had recognised the three pairings that you mention Brian. Two in a day makes better sense for SOTA. Your comment about separating WS-020 from the other two on the Ring of Steall looks like a practical approach. I did read one report about tackling the other two from the Kinlochleven side which might relate to the route to that you have outlined. Looks like it may be worth a re-read. Thanks for the heads up.
Only if you didn’t get into a lock-in, I recall a bar near Ullapool in the 1960’s where the local bobby came in about 10pm when the pub landlord had closed the shutters and he chatted to most of the people. We knew we had to just sit and wait. Eventually after most of the people had left, he locked the pub door, walked over to the bar, raised the shutter, commenting, now that we have got rid of all those sassenachs, we can get down to it and ordered a pint.
Yes, I remember long ago drinking in the famous Kingshouse Hotel near Glencoe and when it came to closing time the Gaffer said “right, everybody into the residents lounge” and we continued drinking in big comfortable armchairs in front of a blazing log fire. That was the night my sister fancied a ginger wine and the bar tender was nonplussed, he’d only ever put a splash of it in whisky before, so he gave her a third pint tumbler full and charged it as a splash!
That was probably the night that deliveries of moonshine were expected!
I agree with Brian about WS-079 and 096: a lovely walk with stunning views. We did WS-074 and 200 on different occasions but we walk quite slowly and they could be combined. We have the WS-042 and 057 combination as a possible for the current trip. We did WS-017 alone as bad weather was approaching but we also didn’t like the look of the traverse to 019, nor the need to go back over WS-017 on the way back. OTOH the ascent of WS-019 from Glen Etive looks to have a different set of hazards.
If looking for multiple summits in a day when weather isn’t fit for the higher hills then it is worth considering the Glen Roy summits.
Not if you are a sheep! After crossing on the transporter straight up Fionn Ghleane and turn left at the col!
One of my best days on the hill started with WS-017, we trudged up under the gondola and skirted round the ski slopes, which were crowded as it was Easter. The col to WS-019 was easy as it was covered in snow. We went north to the last summit (can’t remember its name) then reversed the route and continued to Chlach Leathad which at that time was thought to be higher than Creise, we then continued along the main ridge to WS-022, then as the weather went downhill we back tracked a little to drop down a sharp ridge to the Moor and in the rain picked up the military road back to the car park. Many of these summits are so much easier with a covering of firm snow, later in the year that expedition would have taken hours longer!
Hi Caroline.
Good morning all.
An interesting thread. I can’t remember anything too onerous about WS2, WS3 or WS44 but as I remember there might have been some steep ground coming off WS7 but I cut it out going up by a mistake with a right fork which should have been left. However where I cut up it was steep too. WS69 I haven’t done.
For WS2 I have used the cable car in all activations so far. After that it’s just a walk anyway. The last bit is maybe comparable to going up Fairfield but nothing exposed that I can remember, albeit everybody has different limits; I know I do!
For WS3 (& WS1) walk up from the forest car park NN 1450 7638 (sometimes called the north face car park I think) near Torlundy. I turned left off the main path over vegetation but then to find a decent path taking me to the top of WS3, though it’s rather indistinct once on the stony top. There must be a link between the main path and this one but as yet I haven’t found it or been able to research it. The first time in 1998 I didn’t find any of that path so my son and I had just bash up. I can’t remember any problems with narrow ridges on WS3.
I know you have no plans for it but the Arete after WS3 to access WS1 is really nothing to worry about in summer. It looks quite bad but Striding Edge or Sharpe Edge are greater challenges in my opinion.
All I can do is offer old reports which you may have already seen or even commented on at the time (WS7). I can also offer a .gdb or convert to a .gpx route for anybody who wants to go via the standard ascents but I fully understand why you are looking at other possibilities.
WS44:
WS7:
WS2:
WS3 & WS1 (Old Reflector so no photos I’m afraid and I never got round to adding them to flickr so I will try to find some for you later):
73, John.
……………………………
G3RMD Frank’s 11-year-old request fulfilled at last!
WS3, CMD, WS1 Photos 23-09-2008:
Photos: 7-11-16-21-41-43-44-45-55-59-62-72-80-97-100-125-131-137 ( all suffix ‘a’). The early ones are a bit dark as it’s quite early morning.
Above: Ben Nevis WS1 summit and helicopter hovering above north face
I hope you get around to doing one or more of these Caroline and I hope you get good WX. I still have B.E. Beag to do so I’d like to go back again. Good luck.
We ended up doing just WS-042 today which was scarier and harder work than expected due to the normal path being closed due to forestry work. We ended up with a steep ascent to the eastern ridge including a section where a large rock I was using as a handhold gave way and tumbled onto. Thankfully I only fell a short distance and only suffered a few bruises. When finally reached the ridge views were excellent and it was a lovely ridge walk to the summit.
Thank you both for the contacts today. I’m glad you survived the tumble and eventually enjoyed the summit…you sounded in great form when I spoke to you. There was rapid QSB on your signal but as luck would have it you came up to 5/5 during our brief contact.
The abseil posts were removed about eight years ago, having become unsafe. They had always received criticism for being in the wrong place and were installed when the use of crampons was (believe it or not!) considered unsporting in Scotland! I believe that a marker for the descent point was installed, anyone got a picture?
I’m sorry as well! I wasn’t cooking dinner, but was sat in front of the rig listening to S9 QRM/QRN on both 60m and 40m. Sometimes I wonder why I bother switching the rig on.
I sympathise: we have the same problem at home and when writing up my log of my first activation of this trip I realised that my previous log entry was from our previous trip.
I should have noted that the signposted path up WS-042 from South Ballachulish is advertised as closed until December this year.
The signposted path is not the only route to WS-042. Another popular one is from the east. Go into Ballachulish and follow the side road that heads south, west of the river, it becomes a track and after a km there is a ridge leading up to the summit of Sgorr Bhan and then the very photogenic ridge curving round to WS-042. The ascent is a bit scrambly near the top but nothing too technical. There is also a path up the north ridge of Sgorr Bhan parallel to the direct ridge to Sgorr Dhearg starting from by the war memorial but I don’t know if this will be affected by the forestry work. If they are clear felling they make such a mess that the path may be u/s for a long time - and then they will plough over it for re-planting! I remember them doing that over the path from Tyndrum that I was trying to use to get to Ben Lui, SS-003, it was taking so long to negotiate the furrows that we gave up and explored the lead mine instead!
think those abseil posts have been gone a long time ago John. Or are these new ones?