I've just got back from another Munro trip to Scotland, to the east where the forecast was better. On the Saturday we did the six to the east of the Glenshee ski centre, and on the sunday we did the two above the Dalmunzie hotel. The last time I attempted the Glenshee eastern 6 the conditions were incredibly challenging - awkward iced turf and then thigh deep snow, strong winds, driving hail and a white-out on top, so we only managed one hill in I'm-not-sure-how-many hours. On this trip we managed all 6 in 8.5 hours. Sunday went pretty successfully too, although the predicted storm rolled in and we finished a little wet with an even wetter drive home through much standing water.
There isn't much to write about for these hills really, so instead I've decided to do a little review of the 63 Munros I've done so far. My ticking year runs from February to February (except year 1, which started in January) and I need to complete an average of 29 Munros a year to get them done before I'm 40 as planned. I'm well on track now, and I intended this to be my last trip of the year as over winter I plan to stay more local where the hills are less terrifying in winter conditions, which makes this effectively the end of year 2, so it seems an appropriate time to take stock of what I've done in that time. So in some kind of order of favouritism with my over-riding memories of each. I just want to add that the ordering has no bearing on the company, which was excellent at all times:
1 = Southern Cairngorms (Beinn Bhrotain, Monadh Mor, Braeriach, Sgorr an Lochain Uaine, Cairn Toul, The Devil's Point) 48km in 2 days.
This trip comes top because it's just a stunning area to walk in. I hadn't previously warmed to the Cairngorms (fnar...) probably because I associated it with winter trips which I never got my head round. My two climbing visits there were much enjoyable, but this was another level again. Approaching from the South gave it a new, more natural, feel (forested and no ski centre). Both Glen Dee and (inward route) Gleann Laoigh Bheag (outward route) are beautiful river valleys with turquiose waters and plenty of greenery, then the mountains are abrupt and dramatic. Sgorr and Lochain Uaine and the Devil's Point in-particular offer amazing viewpoints with steep drops below where you can sit down and drink in the situation, and the weather was stunning to match, one of only two times I've walked a Munro in shorts (well, trousers with zip off legs before I start sounding irresponsible). Unfortunately, for some reason my photos mostly show mist and snow. I also did my highest wild camp at that point at 880m.
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| Mini-planet of the Cuillin ridge |
A big tick, although unfortunately not complete (although it's no hardship to go back!), and one I wanted to do before I forgot how to climb. Every Munro or Munro group has its own feel, but The Cuillin has a really distinctive one. It's not that remote, nor as serious as some reports would have you believe, and from various points you can see down to a town or boats or road, but no matter how close they are you feel a long way away metaphorically. The ridge is obvious, continuous and lilting, and that gives the impression of being a tangible thing, a special world, with the valley below being another world away.
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| Cloudless Ben Nevis summit |
It's possibly telling that the long circuits are my favourites, but the weather has a lot to do with it to, although if the weather had been poor we would have cut down the circuit anyway. This was my most challenging trip in terms of distance, the last stretch along the road was excrutiating (at which point I would have cried if someone had suggested I do another Munro before I had recovered), but it was the most rewarding. The distance was less than the Cairngorms but there was 1.7 times as much ascent (2.5 Ben Nevisses). We were treated with lovely weather and views, just what you want on these hills. Stob Ban is probaby my favourite Munro to look at now, lovely aesthetic rounded white buttresses from the east.
The next three trips are difficult to put in order.
4 = Torridon (Sgorr Ruadh, Beinn Liath Mhor)
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| 'Sea fire' |
4 = Ben Nevis & Carn Mor Dearg
Tower Ridge has been on my wishlist for ages as it's a 'through route' (i.e. in the course of the route you pass through a fully enclosed hole). When I stopped climbing my list became somewhat abandoned, but I knew I'd probably still do Tower Ridge as I could tick Ben Nevis by that route. I was very keen to link it to the CMD arete, as I'd seen it from the top of Aonach Mor (a Munro I have yet to walk up, rather than ride up!) and loved the aesthetics of its Northern backbone. I didn't realise that the actual CMD arete was the other side of the summit, but it's no fun knowing it all before you go. My memories of this trip, were that the weather was poor with no views but it didn't affect the enjoyment; Tower Ridge was pleasingly non-terrifying; and the summit plateau was wonderfully eerie, with its sudden mass of people passing in every which direction and artefacts such as ruins, memorials, elevated trig points and shelters rising out of the mist.
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| SE Top of Meall nan Tarmachan |
The Tarmachan Ridge only contains one Munro but it's best done in its entirety as the 5 tops all have their own character and distinctive shapes. They were all the more beautiful cloaked in a layer of frost. There was a real camaraderie amongst the various groups of walkers as they passed on the message to avoid a particularly icy descent, although I'm sure they all thought I'd fallen to my death as I let out a might scream when a fat mouse ran out from behind a rock I was stood on, which echoed around all the peaks.
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| Crazy bridge on the walk in to Culra bothy (Ben Alder group) |
This is a series of nice steep, shapely hills. It was my first big trip, and was quite an undertaking although didn't seem so as everything went to plan. Smooth journey up on a Friday afternoon and a cycle in to Culra bothy, 4 Munros the first day, 2 the next (we could have linked them together in one big day - you actually cover a lot more distance splitting it up - but you learn as you go), then cycle out and drive home early on Monday. I had expected to go on my own but found a partner last minute. The reason this is fairly high up in my list is was the first time that I knew that Munro bagging was for me - on the Sunday morning I awoke with an array of aches and pains and the weather wasn't exactly encouraging, but I didn't have a doubt that I wanted to stick to the plan - something I never experienced with rock climbing. It's a shame the cloud (and rain with it) was down each morning as I think the trip could have been a lot more memorable (and more deserving of this position in the list) with the potential views, but this is Scotland after all! I also encountered my first crazy bridge, there seems to a mental river crossing on each Munro trip.
It's VERY hard to order the next 11. After deciding on an ordering I notice rain features highly in 6 of the bottom 7.
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| Cloud inversion from Ben Chronzie |
8 = Ben Chronzie
This was my first Munro in January 2008, and it was so amenable that despite a reasonable covering of snow we didn't need to don our crampons. It's billed as a boring hill, but it was pretty with ice encrusted fence posts and cairns, and we had crisp, clear views to the Ben Lawers groups and beyond to Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor. Plus we saw many mountain hares on the way back down.
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| Beautiful sunrise taken with iPhone |
I did these two in winter and was almost out of my comfort zone. They weren't too hard, but although I have a little winter experience I don't have much winter confidence as I don't enjoy it much for the sake of it (only because it's still Munro bagging) so on the crux of this route I really could have done with a helmet and rope. Still, it worked, and although I had to leave my partner lagging behind I managed to run up and back the second Munro within the available time. More importantly, we saw the most amazing pink sunrise on the walk in.
8 = Carn Mairg group (Carn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Carn Mairg, Meall na Aighean)
This was a nice, complete day, pleasant in its average-ness - the hills neither boring nor awesome, the terrain was varied, and it makes a good circular route. It wasn't overly taxing in terms of distance, but given the available daylight in November we had to get a shift on.
8 = Ben Vorlich
I'm not sure why I have tweaked this above the others. I'm not sure my memories are representative of how I felt at the time! There was a whiteout and a bit of a blizzard, and I completely failed to manage the descent over to Stuc a'Chroin so had to send half our party on ahead as they were moving faster. Nevertheless, looking back I enjoyed it, perhaps because it was new to me (my second Munro) and I felt quite empowered - I didn't meet the challenge but I learnt what the challenge WAS (even if I then decided I preferred to walk in summer). The ridge up Ben Vorlich is quite a striking feature too, especially looking at it on the aproach, covered in snow with people glissading down it.
8 = Dalmunzie (Glas Tulaichean & Carn an Righ)
There is no real reason this one comes next. It's only because it's the one I did yesterday, and the wind blasting we got on the top of Carn an Righ made me feel really alive and I'm still buoyed up by it. And the finishing cake and hot chocolate in the Dalmunzie hotel afterwards was a suitable congratulation after a damp finish.
8 = Glenshee western 3 (The Cairnwell, Carn a'Gheoidh, Carn Aosda)
These is billed as the easiest circuit of three you can do as you start fairly high up and there isn't much ascent after the first summit. The wind had been forecast to be rather intense, but the direction wasn't quite as predicted so were were hit by it on the first hill but avoided it on the second and third. The descent was very rapid, the snow was such that we could run down and we made it to the ski centre in time for a hot chocolate. I did a few Munros in the snow in the winter of 2010/2011, not because I wanted to (I'd previously decided I'd tried winter climbing enough to learn I didn't like it, then ended up donning crampons and an axe more than ever before), but because I'd had a few cancelled trips during the summer and was quite short of my target. I still didn't quite hit it, but more than made up for it this summer.
8 = Loch Monar (Bidein a'Choire Sheasgaich, Lugh Mhor)
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| The Bridge of Instability |
8 = Glenshee eastern 6 (Carn an Tuirc, Carn of Claise, Tom Buidhe, Tolmount, Glas Maol, Creag Leachach)
My first, abortive attempt at these hills was memorable due to the inclemency of the weather (wind, sleet, low cloud - we got it all). The second attempt was successful. Not perfect, as we accidentally took in Tolmount and Tom Buidhe in the wrong order despite having faultless visibility, but it wasn't a drama. The hills themselves aren't very distinctive, but it was a productive day and we could see up to the Cairngorms, and we saw more hares that I've seen on any hill before.
8 = Ben More & Stobb Binnein
Ben More was steep and relentless but I enjoyed that kind of thing, feel like I'm really working.
8 = Rannoch Mor (Beinn a'Chreachain, Beinn Achaladair, Beinn Mhanach)
This was another rather damp day but satisfyingly arduous.
8 = Beinn Dubhchraig
Another winter walk that was cut short, but useful for confidence building. We ascended via the North East shoulder which was mixed terrain and quite hard going. We descended straight down the corrie bowl once we established the avalanche risk was acceptable.
19 = An Socach
The peak was a little boring, the weather was very damp, and I don't remember much about it at all!
