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

The Jompy heater by Celsius Solar

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

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

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

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