My second annual Hogmanay atop Schiehallion concluded with a considerably rougher than anticipated return through Gleann Mor, finally getting back to the car about ten to four in the morning. Worth doing in retrospect. Beyond that, the year was decidedly spasmodic, with islands of excessively intense activity rising out of the general miasmic torpor. The February week in Lochcarron, for example, saw a complete traverse of Beinn Dronaig from Attadale enlivened by one of the party dropping his car keys and the rest of us ranging back along the tracks for 20 minutes to find them.
I had to abandon the South Cluanie ridge in 80mph winds where the slush was providing insufficient grip to keep me from being blown over the crags, so I walked out to the south-east to reach the first of the year's many tarmac trudges.
The Ponds over Easter saw a heady mix of mini-summit bagging intermixed with more substantial outings such as a completion of the English Furths over the Scafell range, followed by the 1-1 draw between Partick Thistle and Ross County on the radio (happy days) concluding on a bomb-free ascent of Mickle Fell (and all possible summit bumps) via a quarry track from the south-east which went a lot further than shown on the map, as I rather anticipated it might. Nae bother.
Little happened after that until the June weekend when I decamped to Mull. After an opening circuit from Corra-bheinn to Beinn Talaidh, I realised that I'd overlooked the twin-top of Cruachan Dearg so nipped over for the day in September to remedy the matter. The A'Chioch ridge between Beinn Fhada and Ben More in freezing mist and high winds was rather uncomfortable, but a traverse from Glen More across Sgurr Dearg and the full length of the Dun da Gaoithe ridge up to base in Salen was the only fully clear day and not a bad outing at all.
The late July fortnight got underway with a glorious circuit of the Saddle group from Shiel Bridge, replete with Biod an Fhithich and Sgurr Mhic Bharraich, followed by a gentle trot the next day up Ciste Dhubh and Am Bathach. This was a light warm-up to the main event of the first week. This involved rising at 3am, driving up to Uig to catch the 5:30 ferry to Tarbert and then hitching part-way along the Amhuinnsuibhe road in overcast drizzly conditions. Having the extra four miles or so of road to straggle along led to me skipping Huiseabhal Mor and cutting straight up rather slippery slopes to Tiorga Mor. The soil on the Western Isles is not deep, and when wet is unhelpful to the gentle art of not falling flat on one's arse. Nevertheless, the sight of an eagle circling above the summit as the cloud rapidly lifted was worth most of the effort. The descent of the eastern spur from Oreval did not disclose the substantial gap between rocky outcrops suggested by the map, giving rise to a highly nervous wriggle through a maze of outcrops over unnervingly slippery ground, an experience for which the profusion of Scottish primroses on the gully up to Uisgneabhal Mor more than made up. I decided to forgo a continuation to Stuabhal in favour of a return to spend the night in Tarbert. A good eleven-hour outing though.
Things tailed off a bit after July, with the high point being a mid-August traverse of Ben Vorlich and Beinn Damhain. There wasn't much after that until the Christmas Eve outing - midnight atop Ben Vrackie in Scotch mist and sod all visibility, Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a'Chreachain (likewise) and more likewise on Schiehallion at Hogmanay. Looking for some consistency this year, methinks.
