MEET THE ARRAN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL WALK LEADERS

MICK TAYLOR

What do you do when you don’t lead walks for the Arran Mountain Festival?

I am a freelance Mountaineering and Ski Instructor / Guide working worldwide including the Greater Ranges and the Himalayas.

Why do you volunteer as an Arran Mountain Festival walk leader?

I was employed on the Arran Mountain Festival last year and found it to be both enjoyable and interesting. Arran has a special place in my heart as I first visited the Island as a very inexperienced Mountaineer in my youth and was enthralled by its beauty and wild mountainous environment.

Tell us about a favourite mountain moment.

Many, many. Apart from reaching the summits of some of the world’s highest peaks and first ascents of some classic climbs completing all the Munros was a very special day albeit many years ago now.

What is your favourite Arran walk?

The A’Chir Ridge Traverse, Beinn Nuis to the summit of A’Chir. Although in places it is not a ‘walk’ but a scramble. Major difficulties however can be avoided but care is needed throughout.

Which piece of kit would you not head into the hills without?

A well fitting rucksack containing …………essentials!

What is your favourite breakfast before a long day out in the mountains?

Usually a bowl of cereal.

Mick is leading the A'Chir ridge walks.

MEET THE ARRAN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL WALK LEADERS

PAULINE BARR

What do you do when you don’t lead walks for the Arran Mountain Festival?

Having not long retired from teaching I do more hillwalking, spend time with my grandchild and run after my husband.

Why do you volunteer as an Arran Mountain Festival walk leader?

I love walking on Arran and like to share the hills with others.

Tell us about a favourite mountain moment.

Breaking out of a cloud inversion to walk over beautiful, calm, sunny hills.

What is your favourite Arran walk?

The Ridge from Sannox over Cioch na h'Oighe, Mullach Buidhe and North Goatfell to Goatfell over the Stacach Ridge. Favourite Scottish view is from the top of Goatfell.

Which piece of kit would you not head into the hills without?

My piece.

What is your favourite breakfast before a long day out in the mountains?

Porridge.

Pauline is leading the Three Beinns walk on Saturday and the Through the glens walk on Monday.

MEET THE ARRAN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL WALK LEADERS

ANDY WALKER

What do you do when you don’t lead walks for the Arran Mountain Festival?

Work for The Forestry Commission on Arran, keep bees, play the pipes in Arran Pipe Band, learn Gaelic, sit on committees.

Why do you volunteer as an Arran Mountain Festival walk leader?

I like walking the hills & watching the wildlife so it’s an opportunity to pass on some of what I know.

Tell us about a favourite mountain moment.

Up on Sgurr Alasdair & Inaccessible Pinnacle on a blistering hot day about 6 years ago, the sea was a millpond & every island & hill for miles around was in sight – hard to beat!

What is your favourite Arran walk?

Walking down onto the ridge leading to Cioch na h-Oighe from Mullach Buidhe looking up Loch Fyne & Kyles of Bute to the Cowal & Argyll hills. The ridge looks so narrow & dramatic. Then onto the ridge itself which rises in narrow twisting steps to the summit where the drop all around plunges down into Glen Sannox & to the sea.

Which piece of kit would you not head into the hills without?

Map – I love looking at the features & their names; there is so much history, culture & terrain information in them. And useful for navigation too.

What is your favourite breakfast before a long day out in the mountains?

I don’t have anything special, just my usual cereal & toast.

Andy is leading the Whitebeams & wildlife of the western hills walk on Friday and the Witch's Step & Castles walk on Monday.

MEET THE ARRAN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL WALK LEADERS

The next in our series of volunteer walk leaders profiles is Alistair Hume.

Ali (on the right) co-leading last year's Mountain Festival A'Chir walk

ALISTAIR HUME

What do you do when you don’t lead walks for the Arran Mountain Festival?


For relaxation, I play the bagpipes with the Isle of Arran pipe band, I am also a keen sea kayaker and try to play golf as often as I can.

I also work part time for World Challenge, a company that specialises in taking groups of teenagers to mainly third world countries for up to five weeks at a time to experience other cultures and assist in project work such as toilet block construction.

I have also been a member of the Arran Mountain Rescue Team since 1976 and a lot of my time is spent training with them and being on call 24/7.


Why do you volunteer as an Arran Mountain Festival walk leader?

I like to try and help others experience the wonderful mountains of Arran and pass on any local knowledge and history and ensure that they have a memorable time.


Tell us about a favourite mountain moment.

There have been many favorite moments!!! But for feel good factor it must be a time in Northern Peru while descending from a high 4.500 meter pass and at -10 I came across a young local lad, his face full of snot and minus some fingers and toes from frostbite - he was wearing shorts and sandals.


I will never forget the way his face changed when I gave him my cosy warm mountain rescue buffalo jacket that I had cherished for some 20 years.


What is your favourite Arran walk?

Don't really have one, I love them all!!!


Which piece of kit would you not head into the hills without?

A whistle.


What is your favourite breakfast before a long day out in the mountains?

Anyone I can persuade my wife to make!!!


Ali is co-leading the A'Chir ridge traverse.

The Arran Hills: Many Shades of Grey!

Certain to get your heart racing and your knees trembling, Arran’s exciting mountains take your breath away. Whilst Munro-baggers may whizz up the M74 without turning left, missing out the Arran hills because of their lack of a few metres is a bit like getting married without the wedding night.

So what makes the Arran hills so seductive?

1. A magnificent profile: from all approaches, the distinctive mountain skyline of Arran commands your gaze, with its soaring peaks and pinnacles. The towering east ridge of Caisteal Abhail is known as the Sleeping Warrior- see the photo. (He’s wearing a helmet and he has a firm chin!)

2. In a vigorous embrace: Arran is only ten miles wide so wherever you are, you’re never far from the encircling presence of the waves. From the summits, you can get 360 degree sea views- to Northern Ireland, the Kintyre peninsula, the Paps of Jura, Mull, the Arrochar Alps, Cowal, Bute, Ayrshire and Galloway.

3. No boring introductions:  you won’t find long walk-ins on Arran. Unless you keep going in circles round the coast, the only way is up, but taking things one step at a time you’ll be amazed at the height you can achieve in a relatively short time. The apparently vertical climb up Cioch na h'Oighe is a good example of this - it’s still a walker’s route though a head for heights and sure-footedness will help.

4. Fill up your senses: waterfalls stream over Arran’s shoulders, sliding down chutes and plunging into deep, ferny chasms. The background music of water accompanies every Arran walk. Glen Catacol especially is a great place for waterfall hunters.

5. Hands-on experiences:  once you’re on the ridges you won’t be able to resist some exciting hands-on scrambling on the satisfyingly rough-textured  tors of pale grey granite.

6 An untamed character: whilst the Gulf Stream caresses Arran with warm currents making palm trees flourish round its coastline, the mountain tops are survivors of fierce battles with Atlantic weather. Apart from Goatfell, the hills of Arran are uncrowded and perfect for walks on the wild side.

7. A fascinating past:  walks on Arran reveal hints of the ancestors in ancient cairns, stone circles and the remains of prehistoric hill forts. The echoes of Viking rule are in the names of the coastal settlements.

8. Beautiful creatures: Arran’s most famous wild creatures just happen to be very good looking ones too: there are the pure-blooded, elegant red deer for example, as well as majestic golden eagles, tufty-eared red squirrels and lithe, playful otters to select but a few.

9. Fulfilling: Arran walks are adventurous and the end of adventure satisfaction factor as you enjoy your meal in one of Arran’s independent restaurants is off the scale overwhelmingly good.

10. Enduring and elemental: Arran enjoys worldwide celebrity status in geology circles for its amazing rocks. The island represents a coming together on a titanic scale of highland and lowland. The mountains themselves burst into being as an exploding volcano.  Today, the hills are a rocky heaven with pebbles, boulders, outcrops and crags in every imaginable and lovely shade of grey.

Kathy Mawson

All photos are copyright of Lochranza Campsite

Arran hills, some of the best in Scotland!

Here's a few pics taken yesterday of the Arran mountains seen from across Brodick Bay. Breathtaking! Definitely up there with the best of Scottish hillwalking!

Bookings are going well for this year's Arran Mountain Festival, some of the walks are fully booked, and a couple are over subscribed! Don't delay - check out www.arranmountainfestival.co.uk and book your walk!

The Three Beinns Horseshoe, a classic ridge walk, sponsored by Merrell. So popular that we're running it twice, and currently there are just a couple of places left on the Friday and Monday walks. Tempting isn't it - go on, get booking! http://www.arranmountainfestival.co.uk/friday-18-may/three-beinns-horseshoe.html

From right to left Am Binnein, Mullach Buidhe, North Goatfell (not in view) and Goatfell.  This walk, sponsored by the Friends of Brodick Castle is being led on the Monday of the Festival, and currently there are only 5 spaces left.  Don't miss out on this wonderful, but little walked, walk.

JoT

Arran Mountain Festival ceilidh

Saturday 7 April was the first of the Arran Mountain Festival events - the Easter family ceilidh. A brilliant evening at Lochranza village hall, with fabulous live music from the Arranach ceilidh band. There was an Easter bonnet parade, which was won by Hannah for the children, and by me for the adults - very very special yummy Easter egg prizes donated by James of Arran, Arran's Chocolate Factory! The Lucky Dip was particularly popular with the children, and the shove ha'penny (pound) to win a bottle of whisky was good entertainment for the interval! See
http://www.facebook.com/#!/ArranMountainFestival for some video clips and some photos - the evening was great fun, and went by in a bit of a blur ;-)

JoT

Amazing mountains in amazing weather!

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