MARHOFN 58.03 - MAY 2001
Hall Highlights 2000
Bert Barnett
2000 started on small hills and remote snowy Grahams, then moved on to repeat Munros and new Murdos, Yeamans and CTMs (Corbett Tops of Munros). Beinn an Dothaidh (2A) via a brick-hard snow gully was testing, with axe points barely getting 30mm grip. Crowberry Ridge on the Buachaille and Recess route on The Cobbler convinced me that my rock climbing days are over.
List-ticking celebrations were attended, but I am not fully convinced that social events are best suited to the tops of hills. I have to admit however that the socialising was always pleasant regardless of both good and bad weather. Completion of the Grahams and reaching 1000 Marilyns prompted the need for new objectives, as travelling to new hills becomes more and more expensive. The lists and maps came out and the joys of Munroing became clear again; good paths and short vegetation. The downside is sharing the hill with people, but mid-week outings and unusual routes can help reduce the discomfort.
Met the Ken Whyte / Roger Boswell team off the Barra ferry and shared the pleasures of Howmore Hostel. Glad I was not trying to keep up with them on the hill. The causeway to Eriskay is now in place and opens officially in 2001. On the way to Eaval on North Uist I crossed an innocently flowing burn which had huge stepping stones, so big that a sheep crossed ahead of me. On my return three hours later, the stepping stones were covered by a foot of swiftly flowing sea water running into the loch. I plunged across, imagining the consequences if I should falter. Tide tables would have been useful.
On Islay, meeting with Alan Dawson, Dave Hewitt and party on Sgorr nam Faoileann was a pleasant surprise if not totally out of the blue, as getting together had been pencilled in.
Most satisfying hills:
Beinn Mhanach (2A): a bonus hill on excellent snow
Bynack More (8): sunshine and two bonus Corbetts
Ladhar Bheinn (10B) and its Corbetts: sun all day and down to the Inverie pub for beer and song
Sgurr a'Gharaidh (13B): again on good snow with Beinn Bhan brilliant in the sun
Creag Mhor (16D): deep snow, remote hard work
Beinn Bharrain (20C): great walking, big surprise
Glas Mheall Mor (5) (Murdo): surprisingly good walking on hard ground with bonus CTM Am Meadar
Worst hills:
Creag Scalabsdale (16C): good view but hard going all the way
Sidhean na Raplaich (18C): forestry tracks, coarse wet firebreaks and unrelenting tussocks
Beinn Ruadh (19C): tree plantings and tussocks in the gloaming then darkness through roadside rhododendrons
Worst day: 1 June round of Ben Alder Munros from Culra; solid rain all day.
Gordon Ingall
Have enjoyed a great year including first visits to the western isles, primarily as part of the Corbetts 'loose-ends' tidying up (only four left so might finish them in 2001; need a visit to Rum and a return to The Cobbler to scale the true summit). Included all the Grahams as well as Clisham and several smaller (but equally impressive) summits, despite encountering the roughest Hebridean June for 30 years. Enjoyed a trip to Eriskay (kept off the whisky) - Ben Scrien was a marvellous situation on probably the best day. Ardnamurchan hills Beinn na Seilg and Ben Hiant confirmed the enjoyment and rewards gained from seeking out the lesser heights. Completed my 700th Marilyn on tree-defended Mynydd Marchywel (32B). Access was not as difficult as expected from the newsletters, but returning to a car break-in rather spoiled the day.
James Gordon
The first half of the year saw me tidying up various Grahams prior to completion on Beinn Ghobhlach (14A) in June - one of those days when the weather improves heading west across the Dirrie More and carries on improving to a cloudless, calm sunset over the Minch. Other Graham highlights were a January sunset over Arran from Cowal's Beinn Mhor (19C), a wild blast of wind and snow on Ben Venue (1C), and for complete contrast, a May heatwave camp high on Ben Armine (16D) in the open isolation that is the Sutherland interior.
Plenty of good lower hills too: Ben Hutig (16B), a first-footing replacement for Ben Hope (I was several times blown over), Kerrera in April, Ulva and Gometra in May (by boat from Arisaig by way of Coll and Lunga), reclimbing Sgurr nan Caorach in Sleat for its new highest point, and the two hills west of Glen Brittle - best of all viewpoints for the central Cuillin and a great sea view as well.
Even Wales has some good hills - the lower outlying ones on the Lleyn peninsula and in north Pembrokeshire were especially memorable on fine summer evenings. To be honest, most of the 67 summits which I climbed in ten days there were, at worst, merely pleasant, and Carneddol, Middleton Hill and Caeliber Isaf had the added frisson of pre-dawn raids. If I'd paid more attention to grid references and RHB section boundaries, I'd have known that Y Golfa and Moel y Golfa are two separate Marilyns (can hardly complain, with two Leana Mhors and three Carn Deargs down the road in Glen Roy).
Stuart Benn
A good year for milestones - finishing the Grahams, visiting St Kilda again, mum finishing the Munros. Funnily enough, I wouldn't count the Munro or Graham completions (Slioch and Suilven) as particular highlights. Both were on fairly poor weather days and would have scarcely rated a mention otherwise. I've never really thought of completions as the end of anything so got much more enjoyment out of unexpectedly good hill days.
Best of the year were:
- A day of deep powder on Beinn Suidhe (3C)
- Early spring on the North York Moors (37) alive with lapwings
- A day for basking on Beinn na Gainimh (1A)
- Wintry Marsco (17B)
- Glorious trips to Gleouraich, Fisherfield, Cairn Toul and Monadh Mor / Beinn Bhrotain with mum
- A May stroll along The Fara (4B)
- An evening jaunt over Lendrick and Innerdouny (26) with Dave Hewitt and Eddie Dealtry
- Stormy autumn battles on Toll Creagach (11A) and Ben Mor Coigach / Sgurr an Fhidhleir (16F)
- Coming down Sguman Coinntich (12A) in the pitch dark having abandoned plans to kip up there because of lightning
- A late evening trip up Sgurr nan Each (17B) when I was sorely tempted to go on for Clach Glas but for the fact that I was on my own (apart from the dog) and it was getting dark.
Not many poor days, but the pits was a November day on the easternmost Beinn Tarsuinn (15B) in atrocious conditions. This is the worst hill in Scotland (especially if you do the tops too) and I hope never to climb it again. Driving rain and mist on An Sgarsoch and Carn Ealar (6A) was no fun either. Bottom of the heap was a foul day on Stob an Eas (19C) and Beinn an t-Seilich. Barbara contrived to poke herself in the eye with a sitka branch resulting in a scratched eyeball. We found this out the next day at Ninewells Hospital - mind you it allowed Breac and I to nip up Craigowl Hill (26) while she was waiting.
Sharp-eyed followers of the list will note a rather poor showing of new Marilyns (48, of which 26 were Grahams). Attention has firmly switched to 2000-3000ft tops, so new Marilyns are now rarer than Scottish teams still being in Europe after Christmas.
Phil Cooper
Made seven trips to Scotland in 2000. Highlights: the Turner Cleuch round with Mary and Alan - five Marilyns making one convenient challenging round, including some unfrequented rough country. Skye at Easter: Scalpay was a good day out, but two walks put off 26 years ago due to bad weather were especially memorable: the Trotternish Ridge with a group of baggers, and completing the ridge as far as Meall na Suiramach with Bert. Sligachan to Marsco, Ruadh Stac and Sgurr na Stri on a good day was as excellent as a walk can be. A bike trip on Raasay was most enjoyable, cycling to the north end of the road then walking on to Beinn na h-Iolaire and the island's northernmost tip. Took a week's holiday for the Hall of Fame weekend at Lochgilphead to include Scarba. Managed the six Glen Luss Grahams on a hot day in eight hours, which is about my limit. Pottered around some Cowal Grahams in poorer conditions. On a five-day December trip to Galloway and East Ayrshire, an icy Cairn Table on a pleasant day was the best of the bunch.
David Hoyle
After a relatively uninspiring 1999 visiting 'hills' in the south of England, 2000 was altogether better, and my trips away were largely sunny and dry. Pembrokeshire at Easter was mostly dry but windy. Battled through undergrowth to reach the Brandy Hill trig. I should probably have just walked diagonally across a field, but it would have been in full view should the farmer have been driving along the road at that moment (though it would have been over in five minutes). This more positive approach certainly worked on Rhos Ymryson two days later. Two of the three week-long trips to Scotland were entirely blue skies and sunshine. Highlights were Sgurr nan Eugallt and other edge-of-Knoydart hills in April/May and again in early July. Completed my new and old Donalds on Meikle Millyea in October; on my previous visit I had mistakenly headed off down after reaching the trig point, as I am sure others have done.
Barbara Jones
David and I went to Swansea by train in Jan/Feb and spent a mixed three days with the folding bikes, riding trains and buses and popping up this and that in sun and pouring rain. Trichrug, Mynydd Sylen and Mynydd Llangyndeyrn (32C) were pleasant hills. Others so-so but all interesting. In March we had five splendid days in the Knighton area, with excellent days on Beacon Hill and Great Rhos, by train and bike again. Buzzards, ravens and a pair of red kites on the hills, with some extra trigs thrown in. Went back to South Wales to mop up Mynydd Allt-y-grug (a fine wee rocky mountain) and Craig y Llyn. Open-cast mining, forestry and a main road take the shine off the latter, but the crags encircling Llyn Fawr were impressive. Then had two A1 days crossing Fforest Fawr and the Brecon Beacons, with a night at Lywyn-y-celyn youth hostel along the way. Home from Talybont-on-Usk. The joys of not having to get back to a car!
Chris Peart
I achieved my aim of scoring in each area: as well as clearing the IoM hills I also managed a near blitz of section 42, doing the 13 mainland tops in five days. The highlight of my year was another scorching May day over the four Grahams around the head of Glen Gour - terrific rough country and a fine sunset over Garbh Bheinn (18B). Epic of the year was Mickle Fell (35A). First I ran into the hunt around Little Fell, then a grouse shoot on Murton Fell. Finally on Mickle Fell I had a squall from hell with torrential rain and gale force winds. Luckily the weather relented and I had an idyllic sunny evening traverse of Roman Fell back to Hilton. It was one of those days that's terrific in retrospect. Panic of the year was on Claife Heights (34D) where the summit trig proved elusive in fading light when I found I'd forgotten my headtorch. Fortunately the thing was found (but only just in time) as it was my halfway Marilyn (776).
Chris Pearson
Mealisval summit was a 'free' Marilyn, being a mystery checkpoint on the Western Isles Challenge (a three-day team race involving hill running, sea kayaking and cycling the length of the western isles from Barra to the Butt of Lewis). It was memorable for being filmed falling in a bog and then interviewed by Sky Sports at the next change-over. To my delight the cameraman got his feet wet when he inadvertently followed me into the loch where I was washing off the heavy cladding of peaty gunge.
Highlights from 1999 and 2000:
Binnein Shuas (4B): Climbed Ardverikie Wall - a 600ft climb up the granite slabs. One of the classic rock climbs of Britain (climbers have tick lists as well, bagging routes in books such as Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Cold Climbs).
Beinn Mholach (24A): The view was extensive and superb, but the approach over 5km of flat pathless bog and peat hags must surely deter recreational walkers? At least most hills slope upward from the start so that you feel like you are actually getting somewhere. After two hours of desert-like solitude on my lonely mission I finally returned to the oasis of the road, only to be shouted at by an irate fisherman sitting in a hut by a loch. Having apparently never seen anyone set off for the hill in the last 20 years he had inexplicably had to contend with a flood of people running past his hut window all afternoon, and by the time I arrived was rather cheesed off. The hermit scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian springs to mind.
Cairnpapple Hill (28A): Flew into Edinburgh Airport from a holiday climbing the volcanoes of Ecuador. Had developed a tooth infection and swollen face on Chimborazo which required an emergency appointment with the dental hospital in Edinburgh on my return. I had three hours to wait for the appointment, giving time for a paracetamol-drugged ascent.
Ettrick Pen (28B): A big solo run round the Ettrick horseshoe in February, seeing no-one for eight hours.
Isle of Man (29): All five Marilyns in a hill-running weekend adventure with my mate Rob. Friday overnight ferry and then bus to Port St Mary before running north-eastwards in mountain marathon style with all our provisions (training for the 'Karrimor'), camping wild high up and finishing in Ramsey with ice creams and a tram ride back for the Sunday night ferry. We both finished our Bridges (2000ft tops of England and Wales) on Snaefell - just getting inside the summit cafe as a summer thunderstorm hammered hail down.
Detling Hill (42): Dragging an incredulous climbing friend into a North Downs stubble field on the way to a climbing holiday in the Alps.
Peter Collins
I completed the English Marilyn list on Peel Fell (33) on 6 August 2000 to find a fell race in progress and a marshall on top who kindly took my photograph to record the event. Other milestones included my 200th Corbett and my halfway point on Fraoch Bheinn.
Highlights:
Ben Aden (10B): climbed in a fantastic five-day spell at Inverie. Boat to the end of Loch Nevis reduced the day to ten hours.
Black Combe (34D): One of the worst gales I can remember - almost impossible to make progress downhill.
Ben Cleuch (26): Discovered the delightful 'alpine' path up from Tillicoultry - one of the best kept secrets in Scotland.
Beinn a'Mhonicag (9C): Painted Ladies beating the hell out of Red Admirals on the summit. Can anyone explain why they were doing it? It was painful to watch and listen to.
Lowlights:
Little Whernside (35B) (SubHewitt): Motor-cycle hooligans churning up the fell into quagmire. Lapwings watching in horror.
Ken Whyte
The year began with a spectacular dawn of the new century sunrise from Dirrington Great Law (28A) on 1 Jan. I chose this hill because of its SE aspect, where the sun would hopefully rise with low ground over the Tweed valley. It was a good choice.
Highlights of the year were three long cycling/Marilyn trips. The first memorable trip was in April to the western isles with Roger Boswell and Mike Milmoe, where we were joined by Colin Donnelly, his wife and daughter on Barra for the first week. The boat trip to Barra Head, Mingulay, Pabbay and Sandray was unforgettable, being blessed with perfect conditions, although a late start and a hungry boatman meant missing out on Muldoanich. This trip was well documented in the Scotsman newspaper by Dave Hewitt. From Barra, Roger, Mike and me then made our way north up the spine of the western isles, taking in as many hills as possible through Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist and eventually to Berneray where we split, with Mike heading back south to Oban and Roger and me continuing north to Harris (where I completed my Corbett round on Clisham), then over to Skye and back to Fort William. The other two cycle trips I made alone were to Mull in May (magical) and Arran in July, where I completed my Graham round on Beinn Bharrain. 2000 was very much an island year for me, having visited 23 during the year - but still lots yet to visit, with 90 island Marilyns remaining and only 21 left on the Scottish mainland.
To complete my hat-trick for the year, I made a loop of all the Ochil New Donalds to complete on King's Seat Hill on 25 August. This round also included my first Donald, Innerdownie, first visited 29 years earlier. Also during the summer the landmark 1000th Marilyn became a reality with Beinn Ghobhlach (14A) on 4 July. Morven in Caithness was a revelation, a magnificent and relatively unknown hill. Most Marilyns in a day was a round of nine on 30 August on the west of Skye, to include McLeod's Tables.
405 new Marilyns were visited in the year along with 16 SubMarilyns, 33 other Yeamans, 79 New Donalds, six repeat Munros, eight repeat Corbetts, one repeat Graham, five repeat New Donalds, seven ascents of Bidein Bad na h-Iolaire (4A), 130 ascents of Druim na h-Earba (4A) and 50 ascents of Cow Hill (the one with the mast which dominates Fort William).
Richard Webb
Enjoyable year, no landownerish problems, and enjoyed the completion in Wales. Carn Ingli is a wonderful place, no wonder it's a hippy magnet. Complements the better Lleyn hills beautifully. Good vibes on Mynydd Cynros (31C) too. Talley is a lovely place as are some of the woods there. Dripping wet on Trichrug (32B) at the end. Not too many English hills this year, but Thorpe Fell Top (35B) was a goody in a heatwave. Another good day was doing the north Somerset pair by bike. A dry spell made the top of Black Down rideable.
The islands were fun; socials on Scarba and Scalpay followed by Harris Lewis for a week. Really enjoyed some of the Lewis hills. Conostom and Suaineabhal (24A) were wonderful in between fishing some of the lochs. Muirneag must have been the softest hill, knee-deep moss. At the end of the year I got a view of a snow-covered Muirneag from Glen Squaib (Inverlael). Arboreal surprises: Drumcroy Hill (5) proved easy, lovely wood on the top, likewise Creag Ghuibhais (7A) once over the fence.
Worst of the year? There were no true horrors, it was all good. Kit Hill (40) in pouring rain by car was probably the least satisfying.
Most painful moment was pouring tea water all over me in a bothy. Spent the day enjoying Capel Fell and Ettrick Pen (28B) with a scald. It was worth it. I did well for good visibility days, starting with Carn Garbh (16D) at the end of 1999, through the Skye/Scalpay trip to the fine weather of Beinn Damhain (1D) and the last week of the year.
Rob Woodall
1999 closed with four English Marilyns remaining. This year they finally succumbed during botanical forays south: Wight in May; Hants in September; Butser Hill providing an agreeable finish (10 Sep) verging on the scenic as the morning mists cleared from the South Downs. However the main project this year was the Grahams. The campaign I guess started in desultory fashion soon after Fiona Graham's TGO list, although my first was apparently the Pap of Glencoe, the day after my first Munro (Ben Nevis) in September 1991. The route to completion in 2000 took in some of the best parts of Scotland. After a few winter long weekends, Easter took me to Cromarty (pre-Madonna): I recall jogging west beside Loch Glass in the sunshine, with skein after skein of pinkfeet geese flying NW along the glen, headed maybe for Greenland; then four Grahams and 20+ miles later tottering rain-drenched to the car.
Early May weekend was Mull. The abiding memories here are of the sub-2000ft Marilyns: returning east from Creachan Mor marvelling at stunning cliff-top scenery; Beinn na Drise and my first British white-tailed eagle; jogging the length of Ulva with the mail for Gometra House, on an unfeasibly hot day (every other trip to Mull was wet), before settling down with a pot of tea to wait for the boat and feast on the view of Ben More and its satellites.
June was Skye: no Grahams left, but the remaining Marilyns were visited in between helping Yiannis Tridimas complete the Cuillin round in two hours less than my time last year. Two botanical highlights were stumbling upon a colony of a rare marsh orchid on the way off Beinn na Cro, and tracking down alpine rockcress at its only UK site. This plant was discovered by Irish botanist H C Hart in 1887 while on his honeymoon. The same year, Hart discovered Collie's Ledge with John Mackenzie (some honeymoon) a year before Collie did.
July brought a welcome return to the far north after an absence of some years. After a few days plant-hunting, the hills themselves almost turned into a surveying exercise, with arctic bearberry turning up on a pleasing number of summits. Ben Stack had haunted me since Corbett days - good to get there at last.
September was the western isles: the previous trip in 1993 had included Clisham and, fortuitously, South Uist's only Graham, Beinn Mhor. With the benefit of a wider (lower) remit, I was impressed to find top-quality hills and big days out, not only in the Clisham range but also on Pairc and in the Mealisval group.
My bid for daftest weekend award was in October, combining the four Glen Kinglass Grahams with the north Arran Marilyns. Again the Arran trip had a botanical bent, with two endemic whitebeam (tree) species, as well as a very fine Graham. Even now the bizarre outlines of the Corbetts seen from the north are etched deep in my memory.
This conveniently left three Grahams for Christmas. One of them was the remote An Cruachan (12B): a December 1999 attempt had ground to a halt in deep snow. However, tamer conditions this year combined with a useful tip-off regarding the Strathfarrar approach, left the way clear to the planned Boxing Day completion. And Beinn Damhain (1D) provided a suitable venue: on a bright crisp day I was joined by some of the usual suspects, and a particularly obliging golden eagle. Thanks all - a pleasant finish to a fine set of hills, high enough to feel challenging yet obscure enough to provide crowd-free access to the best of Scotland's scenery.
Rob Woodall celebrates his final Graham, Beinn Damhain (1D) on 26 Dec 2000.
Photo: Richard Webb