After induction..the Beinn Dearg 4

Since my last Munro outing, I became an uncle to little Freddie. A humbling experience and the wonder of a new human life. Everything pales into comparison when you see how helpless they are but fortunately my sister-in-law's boobs provide his worldly energy requirements. And so I drove North to UHI student induction and having induced/ducted them into the way of the Masters, I had myself a deserved day off. I started from Inverlael at 0930 and began the long walk in along the excellent track and then path. My targets seemed quite a way off but it was a good walk in, which climbed steadily to the bifurcation of tracks. I went grande first and headed for Dearg and the famine wall. An extraordinary feat and testament to the amazing efforts of yesteryear, driven by a paltry wage so the hungry could eat.  The climb beside the wall, led me to the last rise up to Beinn Dearg but the cloud came in and I sat in blind cloudy silence, while having lunch. The silence and calmness was quite strange. I descended back to the origin of the wall and then headed for Cona Mheall. The view from this bealach is extraordinary. An easy climb and a very surprising view opened up across to Am Faochagach. The view back over to Beinn Dearg was great too but the jewel in the crown was the splendid An Sgurr over on Seana Braigh. I will definitely do that via Corriemulzie.

As I descended, I scared a hare and a couple of ptarmigan, which were turning white already. From here, it was round/over the bump before the climb up to Meall nan Ceapreachean. A harsh wind hit me at the summit and I struggled to remain upright, while appreciating distant Stac Pollaidh and the Summer Isles - next week! I didn't dally and checked the map before the descent - it looked uncomplicated aside from rock bands further down. Ha! This was a tricky descent as the rock and grass was very slippy. I was thankful to get down to the stream, where I left my rucksack for the final climb up on to Eididh. I was surprising how fit I felt and I was at both cairns before too long, as the wind dropped and the sun emerged once more to broil my coupon. All that remained was the final descent and long walk back out. I tried to relax and enjoy the walk out but my tootsies were hoitin. I saw a bike at the re-entrance at the forest and for a brief moment, considered pinching it for the ride out. I banished the thought and wondered where that had come from. I got back to the car and raced to Inverness to have dinner for a fantastic night's sleep at the Torguish hotel. Fab four.

Eibhinn, Beag and Charn from Corrour between trains

It should be relatively straightforward to do the two hills between morning and evening trains apparently. I'm not sure which evening train the SMC books refers to but I thought I would also add on Geal Charn to these two and play it safe with the last train at 2051. This would leave me a full 8.5 hours with a bit of time to play with. I'm not slow and I didn't hang about but I got back to Corrour train station with 50 minutes to spare so I'm not sure where this leaves my trip in the scheme of fitness. At 33km and just over 900m of ascent, it doesn't appear the most physically demanding but the walk back from Geal Charn was pretty brutal and my legs were very sore the day after. It was a rather hot day so that didn't help. Essentially, this was an 8 hour walk with two 10-minute breaks for refreshments and while there may have been a pleasure sitting at the summits and taking in the views, I found it one of my more physically and mentally taxing hill days. The walk along Loch Ossian is straightforward and allows for a quick pace but once the climb up on to Beinn Eibhinn starts, the pace slowed dramatically. This is by far the hardest part of the round however the summit affords views across the valley to the 2nd and 3rd objective and one begins to relax in the knowledge that the sortie is eminently do-able. The amble over to Aonach Beag and Geal Charn didn't feel tough at all and there is a great sense of isolation. This was the most enjoyable part of the day for me and I nestled under a rock prow with a can of San Pellegrino limonata, which has never tasted so fine. I never met a soul except at the train station. The venison sausages, mash and gravy along with an unbelievably refreshing bottle of Stag at the new Corrour Station House Restaurant were supreme and rounded off a good but hard day out. All that remained was to get the last train back to Glasgow and relax after a triple M-point day.

Ca Cannich

The great thing about UHI Exam Board is the chance in the afternoon to stretch the legs and take in the local hills. My last attempt to get to Cannich had been in February during a cold snap and I couldn't even drive out of Cannich due to the icy conditions. No such problems this time around but a late arrival at the car park beside the dam at 1400 meant I would struggle to do anymore than 2 of the Munros, since I'd still have a long drive back to Glasgow. It had been a while since I had been out and the breeze meant that I was exempt from midge lunch. I fair flew up the slopes of Carn nan Gobhar's southern satellite, Mullach na Maoile. Steep but it afforded a quick ascent and once on to the gentle rise before the Munro proper, the sweeping corries of Sgurr na Lapaich lay before me. It was a fabulous looking hill and I cursed my absence of mind in forgetting my camera, although the iPhone was a back-up of sorts. I hit the summit in 1 hour 50, which was decent going. However, it was just after 1600 so it would be the two for today and that suited me as the corrie rim of Sgurr nan Clachan Geala looked great. I descended to the eerily silent bealach, with its huge boulders and sat and had some food beside eagle poo. How comforting. The ascent on the 2nd hill was steep but a good path wound its way into the cloud and the large cairn and trig point were easily located. I would imagine this to be a fantastic viewpoint on a clear day but this hill was too high for the clouds. I took a compass reading and headed due South past a rather odd fireplace! At 1100m? It was beautifully constructed but at this height, it seemed very out of place. This was also beside another large solid square cairn structure. As I descended towards the Allt taige, I thought I saw a man hunched on a rock until a golden eagle majestically lifted off into the air. The first time I had seen one up close. I dashed down to its perch to see if I could feel its heat and found a lovely huge feather, easily measuring a foot - present for Emma. Not long after this, I found a fantastic specimen of a deer antler - almost 2.5 feet. Present for me. I know eagles have voracious appetites but surely it didna eat thon deer? All that remained was the trek back to the car and at 1930, I reached the VW. It was a long drive back to Glasgow but it was worth it.

The Innaccessible Pinnacle feat Kate Winslett

Nail-biting. Hair-raising. Terrifying. What it is to be an Aberdeen fan. However, I digress. I had recently notched up my 200th Munro and yet did not have a single Skye experience to show for it (getting blootered in Elgol doesn't count, does it?) In the days leading up to the Inn Pinn, I had managed to get a few Munros under my belt including Bruach Na Frithe, the Executioner and a great day out over Sgurr nan Eag and Sgurr Dubh Mor. The Cuillin are seriously impressive and make you re-assess mainland 'scrambles'. Would they prepare me for the Inn Pinn though? Many have written far more eloquently on this, notably the great Sorley MacLean. His description of the Cuillin is so apt: "Reaching the blade of Bruach na Frithe, I came in sight of the savageness of the country....hurricane clangour of every blast about the grim savage pinnacles; shaking and quivering of the yelling blast about the battlements of every grey bare-swept summit". Wonderful. What wasn't wonderful was that our forecast for the day ahead was of snow and wind. Hardly ideal conditions for the obelisk. Fortunately, we hired an impressive guide by the name of Jonah Jones. Jonah is a real character; no-nonsense with some rather terrifying but truthful tales of his experiences in the Cuillin as both a guide and a member of the Skye Mountain Rescue Team. His reassurances reassured all perhaps except Tracy, a lass from London who was only doing her 20th Munro and had been trying to sum up the courage to do the IP for over a year. I wasn't confident she would get over it but she would prove me wrong and I was so glad she did. Jonah set off at a good pace and we 'cracked' the 1st 1000ft in quick time. By 2000ft, we were all building up a good sweat and conditions were favourable, with fine views across to Sgurr Alasdair and its massive scree field. In fact, I had almost forgotten what I was here to climb until Jonah suddenly uttered 'helmets on'. A shot of adrenaline raced through my veins and my throat became rather dry. I looked all around and everybody seemed quite cool and collected. Would I be the one to freeze? We had some nice scrambling up to the main ridge of Sgurr Dearg, where Jonah reiterated that we should wherever possible, use small footholds and get used to those as we'd experience exactly these little ledges on the Pinn. "You four are up first - harness up". The 4 being me, Daz, Scott and Derek. This was it. Right Pollock, keep the head. We carefully made our way down to the base of the Inn Pinn, whereupon Jonah showed us the rope system we would be using. "Keep 5m apart, wait until the line is tight, keep the head down and focus on the rock in front of you." We all nodded. His words reverberated around my frenetic brain, which was firing messages to my common sense centre shouting "What are you doing???" The nerves and apprehension were evident in all. As if by magic, Jonah was at the belay point and shouted down to Scott to climb. Next up was Darren, then me followed by Derek. Before I knew it, I was on the Inn Pinn. At first, I had gloves on as the temperature had plummeted but these were cumbersome and I stopped to take them off. The rope pulled stiff and I had to get a move on. The crux move is awkward as you move from the relative safety of the left ledge on to the exposed climb itself. You are climbing a 2 ft spine of rock and you sense the exposure rather than see it, especially in the cloud. However, at the halfway point, I took a look down and could make out the crags and snow below - it seemed far enough for me not to take another look and I gripped the rock tighter than an Aberdonian holds his wallet/sheep. Once Derek was up at the belay point, Jonah made for the summit - to me, it looked like he just walked up the bloody thing and then we were off again. By now, I was pumped but still wired to the moon. The last 10m felt like an eternity but at last, the platform arrived and we clipped into salvation. For the final 4 of the group, their fun was just beginning. And Jonah maintained his 100% success rate about 45 minutes later. The walk back to the car was relaxed and the contrast in conversations and hilarity, post-Inn Pinn was remarkable. In fact, I felt so happy that when I bumped into a female guide who had just come down off the Pinn, I couldn't help but remark to her how much she looked like Kate Winslett. I got pelters for that one but not everyone can say they went over the Inn Pinn with Jonah and Kate Winslett. I did and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr nan Eag - Big lad!

The second day of our time in Skye saw us take on the last 2 Munros of the Cuillin at the Southern end. The weather was fantastic today and our day couldn't have been any better. The walk from Glen Brittle over to Coir' a' Ghrunnda was again swift with Scott and Darren leading the way. When we got round the corner, the view stunned us - it was like something out of hell. Masses of molten rock, gabbro and slabs everywhere - it looked impenetrable. However, a fine path adhering to the rocks of Sron na Ciche saw us make steady ascent over some slabs and through some large boulder fields before we levelled out at the Loch - what a loch it was and we vowed that we would all go for a dip in there after we had done the 2 Munros. The climb up towards Alasdair was steep but we soon emerged on to the airy ridge and made our way over to Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn. From here, Sgurr Dubh Mor looked quite tricky. Scott created a new route and we cursed him for an unnecessary but fun ascent up to the summit. Our descent was much better and rather than go over the top of the Top, we bypassed that and headed for An Caisteal. What a brute of a thing it is. Once past this, the route up to 2nd Munro was relatively straightforward and afforded brilliant views over to Rhum, Eigg and proximal Gars-Bheinn. In itself, it looked a fine hill. We chilled out at the top, had a few photos then descended down into Coir a Ghrunnda. Daz, as true to his word stripped off and jumped into the loch for a swim. Scott commonly calls him 'Big Lad' but that would soon change as Darren rapidly emerged, feeling a new woman. I had got down to my briefs but could not bring myself to charge forth as I liked having just the one Adam's apple. Our return to the car was quick and most enjoyable. The Cuillin really are quite remarkable hills.

Bruach na Frithe and Am Basteir

201 Munros and not a single hill on Skye. This would just not do. Daz, Scott, Derek and I travelled round to the Carbost road and parked up the road from the Slig. The path across to the Bealach a Mhaim was great and afforded us a quick romp over to the Fionn Choire. Scott pummelled his way up to 600m and we all huffed and puffed - a fell-runner and his fitness was to be admired. We then made our way on to the ridge and began the climb, just as the weather cleared and afforded us our first proper views of the Cuillin. Dramatic and we were all amazed. As the ridge narrowed and became more exposed, our sense of fun grew. We could now see Am Basteir, and climbers who were dwarfed by the peaks. There had been nothing like this in all my Munro days. It really was that dramatic. We topped out at the trig point and had some lunch away from some miserable hits - even Darren was embarrassed by their being English and not even saying 'howdo'. Rather than return the way we came, we meandered over to Sgurr a Fionn Coire and climbed that. Daz was keen to add in Am Basteir - how though? We dropped on to the bealach nan Lice and cut down steep scree slopes to the South of our intended peak. This entailed a re-ascent over a very awkward and exposed 'chimney' - it took us about 20 minutes to get up this and at one point, both Darren and Derek were on very exposed holds. I had a terrible thought that one or both would slip and how the fuck would I explain it to their respective partners. We managed though and our ascent on to Am Basteir was exhilarating. The summit is very isolated and no place for those without a head for heights. Our return was via the Basteir gorge though not before Daz and Scott had a look at the Western face of Sgurr nan Gillean. I told them to go for it but it looked impossible to me and I stated so. I had decided we had been lucky enough with the 'chimney'

although Darren felt that was being negative. Maybe it was, but it was important for me to make the point, whether it was perceived as being negative or not. I was comfortable in my decision to head down and I waited for the others to meet me at the base of the coire. The walk out was quick and we got back to the car just before the rain came on. A truly superb day and quite an introduction to the Cuillin.

Beinn Sgritheall jaunt

As I was due to head up to Skye for a week in the Cuillin, I fancied this hill and the two Corbetts beside it as a nice little route. Typically, the further I drove, the worse the weather became. It had been blue skies the whole way to Kintail but then it changed. I drove down the long road to Arnisdale and eventually parked quite late at 1300. I decided to park on the small jetty area, which would leave a short walk once off Sgritheall. I headed past the private estate and on into the glen before ascending the zig-zag track on to the Graham, Beinn Clachach. Had I known this was a Graham, I would have added it to the triumvirate but I'll take it in from the Loch Hourn side in years to come. The first Corbett of the day, Beinn nan Caorach comes into view and it is a little uninspiring. The slog up its South face has little to commend it and I just felt funny and apathetic for much of the first hour. What was wrong with me? Once up on the summit, I had a nice view over to Beinn na-h-Eaglaise and the main meal was just hidden in cloud. The climb up Beinn Sgritheal looked very steep from here. I descended towards the grassy basin at 600m and contoured round and then up the steep North incline. The views from the 2nd hill were fantastic but still Sgritheall wouldn't show its top. It looked ominously dark. The SMC book describes the descent off Eaglaise as being incredibly steep and tricky - it is. I was glad to get down to the bealach and had a wee bit of food, while keeping out of the bitterly cold wind. Is this May? I soon warmed up with the climb up the Munro and while it was a good ascent to 800m, the last 100m were a nightmare. The scree-filled path was slippy and with wet snow, it would claim a part of my flesh before the day was out. Unfortunately, I only had fleeting glimpses down to Loch Hourn but it looked beautiful. The last 75m up to the summit were in flag and finally to the broken trig point. I had a bottle of Fentimans ginger beer and it made my day. The descent back down to the bealach was interrupted by a few curses as I slipped and cut my hand. I had never been so glad to get back off a hill, as these are a nightmare in wet slush conditions. My walk back to Arnisdale was quick and i did the whole route in 5.5 hours, which was a good time. All that remained was the drive to Portree, before a fire, food and bed. A weird day.