Isle of Arran Mountain Festival

Hurrah, we've made it onto Facebook!

2012-02-08T22:10:00.001Z

The Arran Mountain Festival has finally arrived in the 21st century and can now be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArranMountainFestival. Please check out the page and "like" us!

Corinna

2011 Arran Mountain Festival Coich na h'Oighe Walk

2011-09-26T13:49:00.000+01:00

I'm sure I can speak for the group when I say that we were all chuffed to bits with what we achieved on this walk - some found it more challenging than others!!

Jacqui

2011 Arran Mountain Festival Witch's Step Walk

2011-09-22T17:03:00.010+01:00

This walk offered a bit of everything - scrambling, ridges, bogs, but most of all the fabulous views. Outstanding!!
Jacqui

2011 Arran Mountain Festival A'Chir Ridge Walk Take 2

2011-09-22T16:13:00.008+01:00

By David Lang, Lamlash

As a result of the great care taken by local mountain rescue guide Alistair and visiting guide Mick Tighe, our intrepid group thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of walking on Arran’s potentially dangerous A’chir Ridge last weekend. Many of us had travelled a long way to be part of this year’s Mountain Festival, including one from Australia! A few manoeuvres necessitated the indignity of an odd push from behind, however it was all worth it as we were able to ‘boldly go where none of us had dared go before’.

I also attended the excellent film show and illustrated talks on the two previous nights, both effectively building up the excitement, while showing the fun and challenges to be had when exploring mountain areas.

Arran is blessed with superb and extensive hill walking routes that many visitors sadly miss, and the festival celebrated these, while also enabling a wide range of abilities to access them in a safe way. The views from the top can best be described as ‘awesome’!

All those involved in its organisation should be very proud of this year’s success and if I find out they are ever organising a trip up Everest then you can count me in, as I am confident it would be equally well planned! To be honest I would still rather continue exploring Arran and am already looking forward to next year’s festival.

2011 Arran Mountain Festival A'Chir Ridge Walk

2011-09-19T23:03:00.000+01:00

I had never set foot on Arran before, which is shameful considering I live in Glasgow, but I have always heard it is good for walking and climbing. My friend, who has been on Arran several times, heard about the mountain festival and saw there was a guided walk along the A'Chir ridge which he had bypassed on previous walks and thought it would be a great chance to walk it.

We just made it to the outdoor centre in time to get a quick instruction on how to put our slings on, which is when I thought it was going to be more extreme than any scrambling I had done before.

The walk started in Glen Rosa and the weather was perfect, warm morning sun and blue skies. The group walked up Glen Rosa at an easy pace giving the group the chance to get to know one another and hear the guides point out places of interest and tell some stories about the area. We stopped for some lunch just below Cir Mhor where we were told that if we didn't fancy the ridge we could turn back.

A short climb took us to the the start of the rock climbing section where the guides set about putting a safety rope up. It was just as well they did, I was the second person to go along the section and had a wee slip but managed to get to the end of the section safely. There were plenty of other moments where the ropes were in use and I think the group was thankful for that especially at the bad step on the ridge. This was only a gap of half a metre which had to be jumped, but with vertical drops on each side the exposure was something else.

By the time we had reached the top I was a lot more tired out than what I would have expected, mostly from using muscles that aren't usually put to the test. But the wonderful views from the top made it worthwhile and I quickly forgot about my aches and pains. We could see Jura and even all the way over to the Antrim coast.

After the top it there was one more section which required the rope then it was a steady walk back down to Glen Rosa to catch our lift.

Having lacked any previous rock climbing experience i knew this was going to be an exhilarating, challenging and at times apprehensive walk. But with the guides always there to reassure you and advise you along the way everyone got passed the trickiest sections with no problems. I will certainly be back to Arran to walk the rest of the hills and ridges after this.

I must say a big thanks to the guides, Ali and Mick. They were full of knowledge and stories of the area and their times on the hills and you felt in very safe hands with them helping you along the hardest sections of the walk.

Gregor

The Three Beinns and the Many

2011-09-09T20:04:00.000+01:00

I took a walk around the Thee Beinns the other day. It turned out to be a magnificent short day out and much better than the ever-busy ramble up Goatfell. The wind was up and the cloud was doing strange things – all steam boiling out of corries and odd mists. At one point the grass – some sort of fescue or other – made me think there were a thousand little characters just on the threshold of my vision. Each top-heavy blade was moving busily and entirely independently of its neighbours, little heads nodding and chattering in the mist. It seemed that the mountain was home to countless Dr. Zeus creations and I was disappointed to take a few steps onwards and find I was alone.

RB

2011-09-06T18:08:00.000+01:00

I thought I had tried all the ways up Goatfell until I heard Ali enthusing about his way. I had to try it myself. At last, at the end of July, the sun decided to shine. Ali is right about the route - it is splendid. From the tourist track, you cut across a broad corrie of grass and pools. There are views to the south over Holy Isle but otherwise the corrie is cradled by the ridges of Goatfell and has a hidden feel to it. The ponds were full of frog spawn, so they should be croaking nicely by now. Glenshant ridge is soon reached however, and the views open up at first over to Bens Tarsuinn and Nuis and then north and west to Cir Mohr and Caisteal Abhail and beyond to Jura and Mull. The ridge is followed by a short scramble up the gully towards the summit. Plenty of options here to make it as easy or diffcult as you want. Once again the route emerges into the open and the views which were good lower down become sensational. A final climb over a grassy slope and a few more knobly rocks of lovely warm,rough Arran granite and you are on the summit. After spending the whole climb alone, it came as a surprise to put my head over the last boulder and find the top crowded with walkers who had come up the tourist track. They shared my surprise for someone to appear over what, from the summit, looks like an impassible ascent. Great fun!

2011-08-29T13:58:00.000+01:00

Goatfell "Ali's Route"
Being the leaders for this walk at the Festival Andy and I decided to head up Goatfell the other day to see to suss out this route for ourselves. We're really pleased we did because the walk was fabulous, Fabulous, FABULOUS! Why have I never used that route before now!

As described on the website, this is a twist on the usual route to Goatfell, with stunning views that rival any mainland mountains.

From the usual 'tourist path' we cut west across to the ridge heading up from Glenshant Hill and above Coire Chatan passing the site of a plane crash. Awesome views into Glen Rosa, across Brodick to Holy Isle, out to the Kintyre peninsula, and across the rest of the Arran hills.

We went through the Watershoot and Rosa Slabs, popping up onto Goatfell from the west rather than the more usual east. Depending on the weather we may choose to do a more direct ascent onto Goatfell rather than using the Watershoot and Rosa Slabs. Coming down, being on such an adrenalin high, we bounced back down the main path :-)

The photos just don't do it justice. For more photos have a look at Goatfell (Ali's Route) The best way to see it for yourself is to come along and join us during the Festival! GET BOOKING NOW!

Jo Totty

Kendal's Back on Arran...

2011-08-27T14:28:00.000+01:00

The Best of Kendal film night was a big success - the hall was at capacity and the HF Holidays curry went down very well.

So... we've decided to do it all again during the Festival itself. On Friday 16 Sept in Corrie Hall, you can see the following films:

The Point of No Return

Kendal "Grand Prize" winner 2010 - about an American team's fateful expedition to China's Mount Edgar.

Argentine Project

Kendal "Best Short Film" winner 2010 - "did you see that?!" mountain biking.

The Pinnacle

Kendal "People's Choice" winner 2010 - Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner recreate one of the most famous weeks in Scottish climbing. (also featuring mountain guide/entertaining fellow Mike Tighe, who's giving a talk the following night).

This time, the food is being supplied by Arran's famous bakery: Wooleys will be providing home-made soups, filled rolls, mini pizzas and more.

Full details are on the mountain festival programme. Should be good!

Feeders

2011-08-21T16:31:00.000+01:00

Home Baking

I remember once seeing a trailer for a TV documentary about ‘feeders’. As far as I can gather from the 30 seconds of footage (I didn't watch the programme itself) there are people in America who demonstrate love for their massively obese partners by bringing them obscene amounts of food, to the point that they’re practically immobile and just lie in bed waiting for more burgers to arrive.

If I understood correctly, there are some deep-rooted psychological conditions involved, and I fear my colleagues may be suffering something related. The kitchen at work has a dedicated area for communal cakes, and fresh bakes are added daily – sometimes tasty bought ones and sometimes home-made. There’s such a cake culture that I feel guilty if I don’t partake, and this is especially the case as the walls are adorned with slogans like “in cake we trust” and “cakus uniticus”. I don’t want to be the skinny guy in the corner who doesn’t fit in.

But now I’m having to live with the side-effects. I was up in the hills the other day – feeling slow and full of fat but managing to waddle around a bit, and I found some terrific looking bits of rock that I’m pretty sure nobody’s climbed yet. Once I would have thrown some gear onto my back and headed out to the rocks to sample their delights at the earliest opportunity, guns and abs a-blazing. Alas, I fear that it’s no longer my six-pack that’s rippling, and that I’ll be lucky to lug a bouldering mat into the hills, let alone to climb anything when I get there. At this rate it’ll take a winter of hard training to reach my previous form (meagre as it was…) and by the time I’m ready John Watson or somebody else will have stolen in and picked all the ripest plums.

Maybe there are clinics for the rehabilitation of feeder victims...

Kendal Comes to Arran

2011-07-30T13:10:00.000+01:00

As a teaser for the Arran Mountain Festival, there's a 'Best of Kendal' film night at Corrie Hall: Weds 3 Aug (this Weds!), 7.30pm. There are three films being shown:

Wild Water (extreme kayaking);

The Swiss Machine (Ueli Steck climbs big things fast);

A Life Ascending (Thought provoking film about mountain guide Ruedi Beglinger).

£8 a ticket, with optional curry, drink & pud' for an extra £8. "Bargain!" Bring your own bottle.

There'll be more films at the Mountain Festival itself if you miss these.

"Whoop whoop!"

Twenty Reasons

2011-06-25T10:46:00.000+01:00

We know what you are thinking: you’re looking for the…

…Ten Top Reasons to Visit Arran’s Mountains

1. No Munro baggers
The baggers are all off looking for high altitude peatbogs in the Cairngorms, which means the spiky little ‘uns are kept for the connoisseurs.

2. Ridges
From the Three Beinns ridge (steady) to Midnight Ridge Direct (a bit poky) there’s a magnificent edge for everybody. If you don’t like ridges, there’s a shop in Brodick that has fridges for everyone. It’s win/win!

3. Cool rock climbing
From the whispered-of boulder field of Fionn Coire to the sizzling quality of the Rosa Pinnacle, the coarse granite of north Arran is worth a day or two of any discerning climber’s time.

4. Cir Mhor
It’s really good! The best mountain on Arran(?) and up there with the best of hills in Scotland.

5. Classic mountain topography
In the spring time, the Brodick Co-op is packed with geography/geology students. They’re presumably on the island for the funky glacial features and not the fine bargains and friendly staff (or maybe they are!) – cavernous corries and lofty ridges abound.

6. The Arran Mountain Festival
20 events packed into four days, with good craic in the evenings. Get booking now! (Plug over…)

7. Multi-storey mountains
Whether you like to potter around in the bottom of wildlife-packed valleys, stamp over windy passes or scramble to lofty summits, Arran has accessible pleasure at every altitude.

8. The weather
“Holy moly! It was fine on the way up and now it’s raining upwards.” The complete experience!

9. Eagles and seagulls
Arran’s a bit of a stronghold for nature. On an average day out in the hills you might see gannets (you start by the sea), red squirrels (through the woods), and then butterflies, golden eagle, roseroot, adder etc. It’s all very jolly.

10. Accessibility
Arran’s two hours from the middle of Glasgow, it’s the southernmost bit of the highlands and the mountains are within walking distance of the ferry port at Brodick (just head towards the Co-op and keep going).

But we have to be balanced. So here’s our best attempt at the…

…Ten Top Reasons not to Visit Arran’s Mountains

1. No Munros
Okay, so they’re not the biggest mountains in Scotland. (But since when did height matter?)

2. Fear
With all those serrated ridges and lofty summits, fear is a common reason to sack it off and go to the Beach (or the Co-op). Those in the know should sign up for a Mountain Festival guided walk and let someone else do the worrying.

3. Dodgy rock climbs
Back in the 1890s, the rock climbing in Arran’s hills had a reputation for being damp, dirty and vegetated, so if you’re a Victorian that’s stuck in time then you may not be that keen to give the crags a try.

4. They’re mountains
Some folk are fat, unfit, old, and their joints aren’t the ones they were born with… for whatever reason, some people can’t or don’t want to climb mountains. This website has some high quality alternatives.

5. Midges
Scotland’s own airborne piranhas love to hang out in the still, warm glens of Arran.

6. The weather
“Holy moly! It was fine on the way up and now it’s raining upwards.” Nightmare.

7. They’re in Scotland
Look; It’s hard to think of ten reasons… but if you live in Basingstoke or Newton Abbott then Arran probably doesn’t seem the closest place to visit. If this applies to you, you could always leave your job/school/family and move up here… they’re recruiting in the Brodick Co-op.

8. Allergies?!
This is getting harder. Maybe you have an allergy to heather?!

9. Okay. I give up. There probably aren’t ten reasons. Get up there.

Disclaimer
These are not the opinions of the AMF Board, and may not even be those of the author.
Other supermarkets are available (‘though not on Arran).

RB

The Old Man of Tarsuinn & the Goblin of Mullach Buidhe

2011-05-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

If you look closely, Arran's mountain ridges are home to an amusing variety of stone characters. Towering granite tors teetering precariously over cliff edges give the impression of a giant's game of jenga. Many of those massive boulder stacks hide a face, the shape of an animal or whatever else your imagination reads into them. Spotting these characters and creatures is great fun - especially on a day when there's not much of a view!

The Old Man of Tarsuinn is a well-known example of those characterful tors. He is unmissable if you're heading south along the ridge from Beinn Tarsuinn to Beinn Nuis, perched high above Coire a'Bhradain.

Queen Victoria overlooks Glen Rosa from Beinn a'Chliabhain.

I noticed this chap for the first time last week, enjoying an amazing day out walking from Glen Sannox back to Brodick, taking in Cioche na h'Oighe, North Goatfell and Goatfell. I've christened him the "Goblin of Mullach Buidhe".

Corinna

2011 Arran Mountain Festival set to thrill!

2011-05-01T15:04:00.000+01:00

We're now in the late planning stages for the 2011 Festival with the walks programme almost finalised. As last year, the majority of walks will take you along Arran's breathtaking mountain ridges and have you conquer the island's lofty summits. Some shorter and easier walks will be included - they are a great way of discovering Arran's natural and cultural history. Of course, we'll also be putting on some evening entertainment for a chance to exchange the day's mountain tales with your fellow hill walkers. Watch this space!

Winter traverse of A’ Chir Ridge

2011-02-15T13:21:00.000Z

8/12/10 David Lilly and Darryl Urquart-Dixon

Some early snow and sub-zero temperatures presented an opportunity for some rare pre-Christmas winter mountaineering this year on Arran, so last Wednesday Darryl Urquart-Dixon (of MRT & Balmichael) and I decided we would attempt a winter traverse of A’ Chir Ridge. Having completed the ridge often in warmer clines we knew the route well and fancied our chances in winter. Obviously the gear differs in winter, notably with crampons and axes. I wondered whether Messrs’ Douglas, Campbell, Gibson, Robertson, Fleming and Dr Leith completed the first traverse of A’Chir Ridge on 30th January 1892 in similar conditions - certainly, they had hob-nail boots, woollen socks and tweed, not crampons, multi-layered Gortex and Down jackets!

Without a cloud in the sky we were walking up Glen Rosa enjoying the Sunrise lighting up the summit of Beinn á Chliabhain in silver-white rays, pink fell upon Goat Fell and orange on Cir Mhor. By 9 a.m. we arrived at Coire Buidhe with Cir Mhor’s ‘South Ridge Direct’ lit up above us. We pressed on to join the saddle at 591m where we prepared ourselves for the ridge. Despite the -5°c temperature, perhaps -15 with wind-chill factor, we marvelled at the most breathtaking views across our Western hills and beyond to the Paps. It was a winter wonderland - a carpet of snow from where we stood to as far as we could see, only interrupted by the still icy blue waters of the Sounds of Kilbrannen and Jura. We started to gain height toward the top of the first buttress at about 9.30 a.m. creating the first foot steps in the virgin snow as we went (pic1).

(pic 1/David Lilly ascending 1st buttress North end A’ Chir Ridge)

So far so good, but that soon came to an end. We arrived at the first down climb into the gully that leads to the Mauvais Pas section. In the summer this is an easy scramble but in these conditions we needed to abseil. The first abseil to a horizontal ledge went fine (pic 2). For the second abseil we slung the rope around a conical spike of rock at the far end of the ledge to traverse down the face of the wall below. I remained attached to the rope at the spike belay so Darryl could abseil in safety. I followed, edging my way off the ledge but was unable to guide the rope through a crack, as Darryl had, to keep me close to the face. With the rope running around the outside of the wall I felt myself being pulled away from the face and toward the 100m drop below. At this point the rope started to rise up the spike and with no-one on the belay I was in severe danger had I continued (pic 3), so I climbed up and fixed a new belay, from which I could suspend a Scottish Prop Forward, and made my way down. Any passers-by please note; the 8ft sling and Simond Karabiner on a jammed-rock are mine!

(pic 2/Darryl Urquart-Dixon 1st abseil off buttress 1)

(pic 3/David 2nd abseil off buttress 1)

Nerves in check I readied for the bicycle step chimney, the first part of the ‘Mauvais Pas’ section. Darryl led in his usual voracious fashion, whilst I followed by gentler means only to find again that this ridge in winter shares none of its summer hospitality. Snow and haw-frosted rock aside, I managed to get my right crampon stuck in the chimney and had to lower myself down on one axe to lever it out with the other, then haul myself up until I could get some purchase with my feet. I sat on the 1ft wide ledge looking down the 50m sheer face below thinking how utterly useless I felt. I blethered on about summer sun, vertical hot granite walls, sticky rock shoes and how I was made to go up; not down, sideways and in holes with unforgiving crampons on my feet! Darryl - in his element said; “I don’t do all that fancy dancing about on rock stuff, this is my kind of climbing!” And with that, off he went up the ledge to the next belay under the vertical section (pic 4).

(pic 4/Darryl moving up Mauvais Pas Ledge)

As I arrived at the belay, enjoying the exposure, Darryl asked if I was going to lead my usual bit. Absolutely; it was a perfect almost vertical climb up good rock with a few cracks for solid gear placement to protect me on the way. Clearing the snow out of the seams and flakes with my axe, about half way up I placed a good Cam (pic 5) and then continued up to the top to body belay Darryl behind me. As soon as he arrived, looking at my Cheshire grin, he knew I’d redeemed myself.

(pic 5/David leading the climb from the Ledge to the Mauvais Pas section)

Ahead, we crossed the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (Bad Step) with an abyss either side of the 1ft wide hole, as we approached the chimney leading up the third buttress. We cut our way up the steep 20m chimney, which often wet through summer, was surprisingly void of ice. Instead, unconsolidated fresh snow often gave way under foot and the quartzite rich granite in this section broke repeatedly under the lightest axe placement (pic 6). With little gear placement possible, it became hard work for both of us and at the top we could see our hands trembling with adrenaline from our battle with this unforgiving pitch.

(pic 6/Darryl working hard to lead the Mauvais Chimney pitch onto the 3rd main buttress)

We continued up the ridge toward the summit taking lines as conditions dictated, forgetting our prefixed ideas about the the route from previous summer experiences. Topping out at 745m we considered our options seated in a wind free hole at the summit whilst tucking in to our lunch and some much needed hot brew. At 2.30 p.m. we agreed to call it a day, we were both wearier than expected at this point and needed a further 1&½ hrs to complete the remaining ⅓rd of the ridge plus the down time. We took an exit route Darryl had previously used with Mountain Rescue which leads to an outcropping crag directly East of the summit, from where we looked back at our work on the Ridge (pic 7), and then descended 300m down the northern slope to Corie Buidhe.

(pic 7/A’ Chir Ridge, east facing Mauvais Pas section with line of route, and the top of Glen Iorsa below to the west)

To remind us of how our day started out, we were just down in time to see a different array of colours as the sun set the mountain tops ablaze with crimson. We didn’t feel beaten by the ridge, we felt privileged, perhaps accomplished to have achieved what we did on our first winter attempt. With this experience, no doubt we will be back to complete it another day, hopefully on some harder snow to assist progress. A’ Chir Ridge (Nth-Sth) in winter is possibly a Grade III or IV depending on conditions and a long haul; possibly a 5-6hr traverse with good snow and weather conditions, plus the 4hrs to walk in and out. A high level of endurance is a must and it bears no resemblance with the nature of the route in summer!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2011-01-08T14:14:00.000Z

Can we have more of the white stuff please?
I'm definitely enjoying cold and snowy winters more than the usual stormy and rainy ones...

Corinna

2010-10-22T17:19:00.000+01:00

A perfect day in the Arran hills or Golden autumn light, roaring stags & the first snow

One of those really hard days at work: Heading out into the hills to count deer. Which of course can only be done on a nice clear day, making last Wednesday just perfect for the task. A cold and crisp autumn morning with stunning views... Later on, the chilly northerly brought the first snow. The corries were still echoing with the mighty roars, throaty grunts and clashing antlers of the red deer rut. After weeks of noisily gathering and defending their harems, the stags sounded a bit hoarse!

Without a doubt, this is my favourite time of year...

Corinna

3 Beinns & Beinn Bharrain Walks Photos by Carol Brown

2010-10-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

The Jompy heater by Celsius Solar

2010-10-06T10:16:00.000+01:00

The Jompy heater was on display at our festival evening event boiling water at the same time as making popcorn at the door of the corrie Hall.It has been nominated for the World Challenge 2010.

The Jompy Stove is a lightweight and inexpensive stove-top device that sits between a cooking pot or an open flame to rapidly heat water. Invented by David Osborne, a plumber from Scotland, this incredibly simple technology could save millions who die from drinking contaminated water.

The Jompy is a win-win technology, where householders can cook a meal whilst killing bacteria in dirty water at the same time. Gravity pushes the water through the Jompy, and it even works on simple three stone fires, making it perfect for use in the bush.

The voting opens on Monday 27th September until 00.00 GMT on 15th November Celsius Solar Ltd the "Jompy water boiler" is the a finalist from the UK among other 11 finalists from other parts of the world.

We are looking for your support by voting online at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk

It is exciting times for us here at Celsius solar Ltd with our jompy water boiler which can bring many benefits to the developing countries to reduce their fuel consumption and time spent over a fire.

We would be greatful for your support by voting for us online. We have been chosen out of 800 competitors and I hope you will agree we should be acknowledged for the huge benefits that the Jompy will bring to many countries.

Please support your fellow country men and pass on to your friends to vote aswell
http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/2010-finalists-project04.php

www.celsiussolar.com

Witches step and the Castles walk

2010-10-05T14:32:00.001+01:00

2010-09-27T15:26:00.000+01:00

Arran Mountain Festival Visit to Holy Isle with COAST

It was a stunning but blustery day that Sibbie Sangster and I led the Mountain Festival Walk on Holy Isle and we are grateful to the Holy Isle Ferry who pulled out all the stops to get us over there and back again in choppy conditions. The deteriorating forecast meant that we were working to a schedule to return to Lamlash. Happily, the team of walkers in our group were up for a good stomp and we headed up to the summit of the island with purpose. As we walked through the trees, on the lower slopes of the north of the Isle, it was wonderful to see how the conservation work by the Holy Isle community has helped to regenerate a native woodland. Once out of the trees, there were magnificent views across the bay and towards the peaks of the Goatfell Range.

There was also a chance on the way up to talk about the COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) proposal for a community conservation area in Lamlash Bay. COAST’s vision is to protect maerl beds and other seabed habitats, regenerate fish and scallop populations and to enhance the marine biodiversity in Lamlash Bay through the creation of a No Take Zone (NTZ) and an adjacent Marine Protected Area. Whilst the NTZ was instated in 2008, the long awaited Marine Protected Area seems more distant than ever, despite promises from government politicians. COAST are also part of a campaign to reinstate the three mile limit in the Clyde, which it is hoped will help save the Clyde's dwindling fisheries before it is too late. We also heard how early survey work in the NTZ is already showing signs of regeneration of the seabed, after decades of damaging scallop dredging in the area.

A short scramble brought us to the summit of Mullach Mor (314m) with panoramic views all around the Clyde. It was possible to see the Arrochar Alps in the northwest, and Ailsa Craig to the south. Gannets patrolled up and down the east coast of the island, plunging in to the choppy waters to catch fish. Walkers can follow a circular route from the summit that descends the South ridge and returns to the jetty along the western shore. However, becuase of our tight schedule, we returned by the same route. Sibbie brought some fantastic photos of the marine life found in Lamlash Bay which we looked at over lunch. We were able to find a sheltered spot tucked away out of the wind between the two summits of Mullach Beag and Mullach Mor.

Many thanks to the Holy Isle Community, the Holy Isle Ferry, and the Arran Mountain Festival for making this wonderful walk possible.
For more information about the Coast project and campaigns click here to visit the website.

Lucy Wallace
Mountain Leader and Local Guide
http://www.arranwildwalks.co.uk/
Blog: www.wildonarran.blogspot.com

Screivin on willyart beasties

2010-09-21T01:13:00.000+01:00

Friday, the first day of the 2010 Mountain Festival, and it seemed that the Red Squirrels had planned to steal all the lime light. Even before I was fifty metres down the road from Lochranza one had winkled its nose at me from a hawthorn tree while a second bounded across the road. At Sannox third russet rascal showed that it was Sciurus vulgaris and not cyclists, riders or walkers that I had to give way to. Despite their best efforts to distract myself, and the five other navigators, from orienteering around Brodick Castle the wildlife highlight of the day was lurking in the waters off Corrrie; a nine metre basking shark swimming back and forth opposite Corrie Primary School.

Saturday was the day of the Northern Eggar Moth caterpillar. While we paced on fixed bearings through bracken and heather intent on demonstrating our competence with the compass, they concentrated on gorging on the heather and competing to see who could do the best impression of a brown furry stripped chipolata.

Sunday I hoped to catch a glimpse of a ptarmigan on Beinn Bharrain, at the southernmost edge of their range in Scotland. However it was Red Grouse that encouraged us to go-back; despite frequent their exhortations we stayed the course to claim Arran’s sole Graham.

Monday the weather front, which the day before had moved north, rolled back overnight to park itself over Glen Sannox and Cir Mhor. And so it seemed that the only wildlife on view was clad in waterproofs of varied hues milling around the car park at Sannox Bay. Little did we appreciate the treats, avian, entomologic, herpetologic, and mammalian that awaited us in Glen Rosa.

As we dropping down towards Fionn Choire two Red Deer hinds crossed over ahead of us to join a third on the meadow below the Mauvais Pas on the A’ Chir ridge. With the lower skirts of the sirrus clouds shredding over the granite tors of A’ Chir we paused on our descent to see how many deer we could spy in the inner sanctum of Coire Buidhe.

Descending further down into Glen Rosa we gazed up the eastern wall of the valley to watch tree Golden eagles wheel and gyre over the Stacach Ridge and North Goatfell. Strangely it was the oldest member of the group that first spotted them as the youngsters fumbled to clean the rain smudges off their glasses. The eagles presaged the return of the sun but obviously not soon enough for the male Adder basking on the footpath by the close to the Garbh Allt footbridge. As he we stood around watching him he failed to spot the Mottled Grasshopper perched on his coils, until finally a passing shadow sent him on his way.

Our final animal encounter was awaiting us as Glen Rosa turned eastward below Glenshant Hill. On the hillside below Creag Rosa a recent landslide scar revealed itself to be a Meerkat gazing back up the glen to the shy peaks which finally cast aside their dreich shrouds to catch the warmth of the autumnal sun.

Chae

Climbing with the Ravens

2010-09-20T23:25:00.000+01:00

On the 5 September, with the forecast predicting a breakdown in the fine stable weather, we headed down to west coast after breakfast with plans for a circuit of Coire Roinn and Sunday lunch at Pirnmill. Beinn Bharrain is one of my favourite Arran hills with the muscular rollercoaster ridge reminding me of youthful days in the Grampians. So with purposeful steps we headed up the Forked Burn, pausing to admire the aspen leaves quivering on the side of the gorge, before striking off cross country to the Suilven like Creag an Fhithich. The Victorian Ordnance Survey surveyors missed a treat in failing to capture the name of this peach of a ridge, or perhaps the thought that krag-an-eeuch was an unsuitable name for the rock of the raven.

Mike was in training for his first Arran Mountain Festival walk, Chae was field testing his suspiciously denim like technical trousers (not to be confused with jeans) and Iain was along for the ride. We scrambled and scampered along the spiny ridge back, catching our breath to admire the exposure and congratulate ourselves. When looking back we spied a senior walker in a blue cagoule and baggy shorts making short work of the scramble.

And so with our egos clipped we retired down the less demanding western ridge to the tea room; there we set to embellishing the tale of our Sunday morning adventure, feasting on beef pies flavoured with Arran ale and drowning our sorrows with great steaming mugs of tea. A perfect Sunday adventure we thought before settling down to snooze under the comforting blanket of the Sunday papers.

Chae

A'Chir Ridge.

2010-09-02T22:19:00.000+01:00

A week after Arranachs and our visitors had the company of Doug Scott, the first British man to conquer Everest in 1975 and a great inspiration to my life; I would like to share something more historic and emotive in my final summer climbing article unlike my previous detailed accounts.
On 30th January 1892 Messrs’ Douglas, Campbell, Gibson, Robertson, Fleming and Dr Leith completed the first South - North traverse of A’Chir Ridge (‘the comb’) between Beinn Tarsuinn and Cir Mhor. One of the party, William Douglas, an accomplished mountaineer of the Highlands and Alps, once said of Arran: “To know any hill well is indeed a privilege, but to become on intimate terms with a mountain group such as that of Arran, is something that adds much to a man's life.” I appreciate entirely his sentiment. 118 years later this classic traverse remains largely unchanged and it was our turn. On a crisp and slightly overcast morning my great friend Darryl Urquart-Dixon of Balmichael (MRT), myself and Tim Hobden, my surrogate brother from Buckinghamshire, set off to tackle the Ridge in the opposite direction to Douglas’ party.
Approached from Glen Rosa toward Coire Buidhe below Cir Mhor and up to a col at 591m we gained the Ridge along a path leading to the first section of easily navigated boulders. This brought us to A’Chir’s first great granite buttress whose Cyclopean wall dominated the foreground like a mighty rampart protecting what lay beyond. With Tim’s eerie broken spectre below us we scrambled our way up the arête with an airy void to the left which was only broken 40 meters below by a sea of mist.

The views were astounding as we crossed the top of the buttress to reach a sudden drop which, given I think we veered from the route, required a careful scramble descent and an uncomfortable crawl under an overhanging boulder to reach a gully where we prepared for the climb. The very amusing ‘Bicycle Step’ (or ‘Chimney’, SMC Journal Vol.3 No.4) offered the opportunity for some laughs on a damp day as I watch both my colleagues attack head on the slippery polished rock (pic1) as they tried to squeeze themselves through a gap only big enough for a child.

Tim Hobden squeezing himself through the Bicycle Step Chimney on A’Chir Ridge (pic1)

I decided a delicate approach was more my style rather than a full on frontal assault opted for by the bigger men. Traversing along the face on a seam for my feet and the edge of the upper shelf for my hands I pulled up to join my friends, grinning from ear to ear with their boots dangling over the precipice (pic2).

Darryl & Tim on the ledge before the climb up to the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (pic2)

Darryl led the way up the exposed mid-face ledge with its vertical drop at the edge of our fingers as we crept up to a head wall and our first short climb. I volunteered to lead, placing some gear into a crack half way up for the rope to secure me should I fall. Sitting on the platform at the top I body belayed (90kgs of) Tim as he admirably handled his sweaty palms and nerves on his first climb. From this section we reached the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (bad step) after a lofty scramble around some obstacles to reach a narrow flat block which we jumped down to before Darryl, rope in hand, gave us his impression of disco legs as he hopped across the gap in the rock which opened below to treacherous gullies on both sides – bad step indeed! (pic3, below).

Darryl carefully leading Tim across the ‘Mauvais Pas’ whilst Tim’s just hanging on (pic3)

Tim tentatively weighed up his options, knees trembling; crawl or go-for-it. He opted for both! Looking on, keeping to the left and the natural arête of the next buttress we scaled a gradually inclining chimney which was testing in the damp, particularly dodging Tim’s debris as I followed. After an intense deviation where Tim nearly broke his tibia in a deep slab crack as we down climbed, we moved on unhindered to the summit at 745m with about 1km of the Ridge completed. The views back under a clearing sky were breathtaking; the jagged pinnacles of Cir Mhor, the colourful ‘U’ shaped glacial glen of Rosa and Iorsa with Loch Tanna and the Kilbrannen Sound in the distance, and to the South; the blocky Consolation Tor and outline of Beinns Tarsuinn
and Nuis sketched by the sun through misty skies.

The exposure and environment were truly inspiring and thought provoking; more than once we discussed how insignificant we were in this mighty landscape. These views were enjoyed over a brew before we set off on the remainder of the Ridge which offered at least three other interesting challenges: a featureless 4m vertical block with only a rounded foot wide crack to use as best we could, a 10m crumbling chimney and a chock stone defying gravity, especially with me on it (pic4), all of which added diversity to the traverse.

A final contemplation was enjoyed as we looked back at the ridge from Beinn á Chliabhain (pic5), with the knowledge that experience, fair weather and proper equipment make A’Chir a thrilling day’s adventure across one of the finest ridges in Scotland with its own unique character and surprises.

David contemplating his future on the chock stone (pic4)

The 2010 team. Tim Hobden, Darryl Urquart-Dixon and David Lilly with A’Chir Ridge behind (pic5)

Article by D.Lilly, as featured in the Arran Banner, all photos copyright D.Lilly 2010.

Full Mead Tower, near Beinn Nuis.

2010-09-02T22:04:00.000+01:00

The week after my ‘South Ridge Direct’ climb with Darryl the unusually long period of dry weather continued and a plethora of routes normally impossible due to the usual summer showers came into play. Many superb crags on the island are prone to seepage between the slabs of granite, making the rock dangerous to climb, one such is Full Mead Tower on the Nuis-Tarsuinn ridge which I have been dreaming of climbing since I moved here. This 120m jumble of granite blocks, one on top of each other, resembles a game of Jenga; one wrong move and the whole lot will come down. So, it was with heightened anxiety that I approached the foot of this intimidating tower with Stuart Wallace, a Mountain Rescue Team member from Lamlash. We agreed on the ‘severe’ graded ‘Full Mead Chimney’ route; a near vertical cleft in the mountain, sustained mix of cracks and right-angled blocks with good solid security. First recorded by GC Curtis & GH Townend in 1947, it is hard to find much written about it, in the end all we had were four lines attributed to it in the 1997 SMC Arran guide book. We approached the start via a 50m gully scramble to the right and across a thin grassy ledge leading to the Chimney. We arranged our 60m rope and rack of gear as we looked up excitedly at the Chimney for the first time. I set off on the first pitch with my heart in my mouth as I looked at a cavernous hole to my right and 6m section of overhanging blocks (pic1) that I had to make my way up before I could place some gear.

David Lilly leading 30m pitch 1 of Full Mead Chimney

My nervousness is always apparent to me, well hidden from my partner, when I start a climb on anything serious but anxiety quickly subsides once the first few bits of metalwork are in afterwhich calmness takes over. To reach the second section of this pitch I had to bridge across the dark abyss to my right in order to fix a cam in the opposing wall, which was a little unnerving. Then, following a pitch of another 8m with no gear placement I found good friction underfoot and some holds between each block to a ledge where I secured some rock-nuts. The final section of the first 30m pitch proved to be the most exciting for me, an exposed and technically interesting passage. Not only did the route become more vertical but it turned into a series of downward sloping flakes interrupted by grassed cracks almost as steep as the rock. The rear tread on my combi-shoes allowed me to use the grass where necessary and the sticky rubber on the toe to generate considerable friction on the rock when laybacks and a left knee drop were required to ascend this section freely. I must admit, before I reached the first belay point, the sustained nature of this pitch was apparent as I puffed like an old locomotive. Safely secured on a small ledge halfway up the face with a view across to the imposing face of Nuis, I slowly pulled the rope in as Wally ascended; it was a silent 20 minutes or so until I heard him puffing away like I had until he joined me on the ledge. The start of the second pitch was tricky, hard to balance and create force in various directions to overcome two facing walls on a 120 degree angle, but with his long gait Wally climbed well to reach a small rounded dome of weathered granite to place a sling and secure the lead rope (pic2).

Stuart ‘Wally’ Wallace leading 15m pitch 2 of Full Mead Chimney

The angle of the chimney then closed to 90 degrees making it more enjoyable to scale, but as he gained the upper section he had little choice but to use one leg as a piece of gear. By wedging it into a vertical opening in the rock he pushed himself upwards with a technique he described as ‘thrutching’; a word that sounds as attractive as the technique. With much effort he surmounted this right angled upper section to another ledge about 110m above the base of the Tower which offered tremendous views across Kintyre to Ireland in the distance. Above was a brutish end to an otherwise technically interesting yet rewarding pitch. The only way up was to hug a 7m vertical ‘V’ ridged block with the legs, squeezing the knees, both arms out straight with flat hands slapped on the granite, then push upwards until hand holds allowed for some normality to resume. At the top was a large table-top rock balancing above us which we pulled over to the next belay. I think Wally had a well earned laugh at my expense watching me fight gravity to get up this section; he did well to lead it. He ushered me on to lead the final pitch; a scramble up a broken gully to a featureless headwall which I was not keen on ‘thrutching’ up without security. On the right vertical wall was a thin diagonal seam for finger holds, so with my feet planted on the rock I pushed up and straightened my arms to work my way up and across. To get to the top of the head wall I placed two cams with foot slings in a crack about 4ms up the wall and ‘Aid climbed’ my way across. As I reached the top of the head wall with my outstretched left foot and clawed at a hand hold above I was able to reach down and remove the last cam, allowing Wally to work up to the first, remove it, down climb to the ledge and ascend the head wall whilst secured from above. This reminded me of how mentally challenging a first on-sight attempt can be and of a quote by Larry Kersten; “before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you can survive the odds beating you”. In good company with the right conditions, Full Mead Chimney along with South Ridge Direct have shown me that Arran has granite climbing to rival the best in the World, and some Top climbers to boot! (Many thanks to Wally & Darryl)

Blue: approach. Red: pitches 1, 2 & 3 of climb.

Article by D.Lilly. As featured in the Arran Banner, all photos copyright D.Lilly 2010.

South Ridge Direct, Cir Mhor.

2010-09-02T22:02:00.000+01:00

Now summer is upon us, with an unusually long sunny dry spell, I swapped my ski boots for my climbing shoes and took to the Mountains of Arran once again on Saturday 12th June. Darryl Urquart-Dixon, Mountain Rescue Team member, and I started out from Glen Rosa heading towards Cir Mhor to climb the ‘South Ridge Direct’ route up this Alpine style mountain. The route, first recorded in 1941 by J.F. Hamilton and D. Paterson in the days of army-surplus pitons, creaky karabiners and the first nylon ropes, has long been considered a classic by the Scottish Mountaineering Club. With our modern tools; one 60m 10.3mm dynamic rope, harnesses, lids, a rack of rock-nuts, cams and hexe’s and a few other essentials stuffed in our packs; including our wives’ monster sandwiches, the ubiquitous first aid kit and the mandatory 2lts of water each, we reached the base of the route about 1 hour later. We sauntered up the first few scramble pitches of the route which provided a healthy warm up before the more strenuous ‘Very Severe’ graded pitches to come. Some 80ms up Darryl led the famous ‘S crack’, attacking this distinguished ‘Serious’ grade pitch in his usual physical fashion with big raking hand grabs up the ‘S’ shaped granite flakes securing gear for protection as he went. Soon it was my turn and once secured above the call of ‘Climb!’ bellowed down the rock face. With my sticky rock shoes on I was immediately impressed by the friction that this high quality granite provided, allowing most of the upward motion to be controlled and driven through the feet. This proved essential as I was able to conserve strength in my arms for the most serious pitch of the climb; the infamous ‘Y crack’. It was my turn to lead and although this pitch is short by comparison it is the subject of bar room gossip, conjecture and even fear. On the day, with the sun making the granite sticky the alleged ‘polished’ nature of the rock was not apparent. With some composed planning, reading the rock, a few delicate foot movements up to the overhanging section to find an upper hand hold on top of the ledge, positioned as if chiseled there on purpose, I was able to pull up and over onto a ledge that made a perfect belay for the second climber to be secured (Pic1).

Some 200ms below we could see the multi-coloured helmets of other climbers starting out on ‘Prospero’s Prelude’ and we could hear another party chattering away to our right on ‘Sou’wester Slabs’; it was getting busy. Darryl vanished in the distance, traversing across a wide inclined ledge to reach the ‘Layback crack’ belay (pic2). Leading again he secured gear in the almost vertical right angled crack until he disappeared diagonally along a weathered hand seam protruding from the otherwise smooth but grippy steep inclined slab. Not until I reached this section did I realise the exposure he had been in, covering 20ms with one gear placement as no earlier opportunity had presented itself. Arriving at a large ledge we encountered an RAF Mountain Rescue group from the Cairngorms, who were the voices we heard echoing up ‘Sou’wester slabs’, so we stopped to devour our sandwiches and take on some liquid. After the obligatory rib-tickling banter with the RAF we took on the ‘Three Tier Chimney’, our final real climbing pitch of the day, which although not technically difficult certainly demanded brawn not brains and a scrap to get up.

After 3 hours we’d reached the summit; time for some back slapping, arrange the gear and head for the pub…another Arran Adventure in the Bag!
For all those thinking about attempting this or any climbing route always remember; ‘there are old climbers and there are bold climbers, but there are no old bold climbers’.

Article by D.Lilly. As featured in the Arran Banner, all photos copyright D.Lilly 2010.

A Flying Bear!

2010-08-28T17:49:00.000+01:00

A Flying Bear - Nicky Cairney flew a tandem paragliding flight above Catacol dressed as a bear to raise awareness and money for the Animal Asia Foundation and the plight of the Moon Bears.

Moon bears are kept in crush cages and milked for their bile which is used in Chinese Medicine. Nicky appeared on STV Television.

Paragliding Bear - Watch it on STV's Hour show (click on part two)

You can read more about Moon bears and other animal issues on www.animalsasia.org
The London Guards currently use between 50 - 100 Black bear skins each year for their Bear skin hats. You can read more about this and add your voice if you disagree with it. www.animalsasia.org

Sea kayak camping trip.

2010-07-01T08:07:00.000+01:00

Had a great trip up the east coast of Arran a couple of weeks ago on a short camping break. Now this is sea kayaking at its best with bright sun and playful waves, lots of wildlife and a good breeze. We decided to head up from Brodick towards Laggan on the North East of Arran, this stretch of coast has some of the best views I know of anywhere in Scotland with the main hills and glens towering above.

The mackerel are here again and we got luck and caught our dinner. A lot of time was spent watching Mullet in the entrance of the North Glen Sannox burn, swimming in the shallows with there fins breaking the surface. There were a lot of birds with young about both on the water and the shore, the Eider chicks seemed to be doing well and the Mergansers with there young hugged the coast and found shelter amongst the rocks. Gannets circled high all day and showed us the way to the fish, tucking and falling like spears to catch their dinner.
We stopped to camp near Millstone Point with plenty of time to relax and dry our gear. Mark is a bush craft camp enthusiast and the fish where cooked without pans or plates, great, no washing up!

We had a close encounter with a badger later on at dusk, we heard it scratching about in the bracken and stood still and quiet. It didn't see us even though it was only a few yards away and we got to watch it for a long time as it foraged for food. This is one of the best things about sea kayaking, how close it gets you to the wildlife around our coast. Otters are more often seen than badgers and just the other day a group of us got to paddle up close to a basking shark, an amazing site when they are almost twice as long as our boats!

The return journey was fast and fun with a strong breeze pushing us back. The waves pick up the boat and surf you forward and we arrived home feeling happy and hungry for more.

See you on the water,

Luke.

Arran Mountain Festival brings DOUG SCOTT back to Arran

2010-06-08T18:35:00.000+01:00

We are thrilled to announce that Doug Scott will be returning to Arran this year. His presentation last year was so popular that we have asked him to come back to give another talk. He will be speaking at Lamlash Community Theatre on Wednesday 11th August. I missed last year's presentation, so can't wait! More details to follow...

Corinna

Amazing mountains in amazing weather!

2010-06-02T09:25:00.000+01:00

The weather has been incredibly kind to us here on Arran for the last few weeks. Sunshine and blue skies galore! So out into the hills it was for me, this time tackling Cioch na h'Oighe, majestically towering above Glen Sannox. A steep and long scramble up its northern slope was rewarded by incredible views out across the Firth of Clyde and its islands and sea lochs, the hills on the mainland and on the islands of Jura and Mull. The switchback ridge that leads from the summit of Cioch na h'Oighe towards the next peak of Mullach Buidhe is an absolute delight, with breathtaking views down the vertical granite walls of the Devil's Punchbowl. Head for heights definitely required! Passing the site of the Goatfell Murder at Coire nam Fuaran, I headed on towards North Goatfell. Another brilliant ridge to follow: The Stacach with its granite tors makes for more scrambly fun on the way up to Goatfell. There's always the option to by-pass the trickier sections on lower paths, but on a peachy day like that... And I hadn't met a soul until I reached this ridge! After that, the Goatfell summit seemed busy, and I didn't linger long, having had more than my fair share of great hill time for the day!
Fingers crossed for equally amazing weather during the Mountain Festival in September!

Corinna

17 -20 September 2010 Arran Mountain Festival

2010-04-08T09:22:00.000+01:00

Join qualified guides to explore the island's amazing landscape & wildlife!

Exhilarating ridge walks & classic scrambles

Two day excursion walking the length of Arran

Holy Island & coastal walk

Paragliding

Sea kayaking

Mountain Biking

Evening events

Visit www.arranmountainfestival.co.uk for more details.