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...

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!

RB

Feeders

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...

RB

Kendal Comes to Arran

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!"

RB

Twenty Reasons

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

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!

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!