Steven Fallon Mountain Guiding Blog

Winter Hill Walking Skills, January 2012

2012-01-30T11:27:00.006Z

At the end of January we had two groups of 4 people on our Basic Winter Hillwalking Skills days. On the Saturday we enjoyed clear skies and still, cold air, whereas Sunday presented us with a more typical Scottish day - windy with snow and rain moving over later in the day.

On Saturday we met with the guys at Grantown-on-Spey in the fine Ardenbeg Hostel and had an hours chat about gear, route planning and what to expect on the day. We then headed to the Northern Cairngorms and drove to the Coire na Ciste car-park. On foot, we aimed up the eastern shoulder above this coire, discussed navigation techniques, then headed onto the flat ground above Coire Laogh Mor overlooking Strath Nethy with fine views over to Ben Avon, Beinn a'Bhuird and Beinn Mheadhoin.

In perfect conditions, Jim talked and gave demonstrations to the guys of all the winter essentials of ice belays and self arrests. The guys had a great time sliding about and learning how to stop themselves. With the use of a well dug pit, Jim explained snow and ice formation and talked about avalanches before we headed back down into Coire na Ciste and back to the car-park as light faded, the guys now well versed in the use of crampons and ice-axe.

After dropping of the guys back at their base, Jim and I headed to Newtonmore to meet with our Sunday clients at the sumptuous Eagle View Guest house run by John and Moira.

On the Sunday, we had hoped to run with much the same format, however the weather had other ideas ! Today a strong wind was blowing from the south and funnelled through Coire na Ciste, so Jim took the group up the western side of the coire and quite quickly the guys were made familiar with moving on steep snow and ice covered ground before heading to around 900m to practice self belays and arrests. While the guys enjoyed lunch in a warm storm shelter, Jim and I prepared a snow pit while being blasted by the cold wind. We returned back down the eastern shoulder above Coire na Ciste, with the temperature dropping and weather deterioating - the day had been timed just right !

Some more photos are on our Flickr site and a video is on our YouTube Channel.

Drumochter Munros, Jan'12

2012-01-26T21:33:00.004Z

The two Munros east of Drumochter are quiet hills, set back from the A9. With preparation for the construction of the new pylon line now in place, I thought I'd check out the access to these hills. The main access is from a car-park just south of the junction for Dalwhinnie. On first inspection the signs and large gates are quite intimidating, however there is a smaller gate to the right of the large locked gate that is used by vehicles. This smaller gate is for the use of hillwalkers and is not locked. Up the track, into snow and onto the crest of the plateau, I passed a group of 4 guys that must have set out an hour or so before me. Near white-out conditions shortly thereafter came and went and the trig point on A'Bhuidheanach Beag was reached in clear weather.

About-turn and a jog back along the crest. I caught up with the group of guys again and had a blether with one of them as we reached Carn na Caim. They were down to 3 now, turns out they were part of the Polmont Hillwalking Group, and their missing companion had decided to descend after the first Munro. He was aged 83 ! I'm impressed. It was now just after 1pm, so plenty time to add in Meall Chuiach to the journey.

I hadn't reckoned on the deep snow on some parts, which slowed me down. Quite a few mountain hares in their winter coats darted about - Jake tried to give them chase, but without luck. The last haul up Meall Chuaich with its icy layer hiding deep snow took its toll. Down to the bothy and along the track toward the A9, I checked the map and changed the route for the return to the car - this time following the aquaduct to its end and then the cycle-way back - much more pleasant than cycling along the A9 !

If you fancy walking this route, details, including maps are on the Drumochter Munros page .

Rothiemurchus Munros, Dec'11

2012-01-04T14:02:00.004Z

Some decent snow at last !

Four of us (Raymond, Lucy, Dave and myself) packed into our new transport (a Land Rover Discovery, black and soon-to-be liveried) and headed to the Cairngorms for a winter walk. Met Office forecasted for a reasonable day, if a bit on the windy side - and they were pretty bang on !

We drove north to Auchlean, then walked up the Moine More path onto the plateau between Sgor Gaoith and Mullach Clach a'Bhlair. The wind was coming in from the south, whipping up wind-slab and forming rime on the ground and rocks. Up on Sgor Gaoith a cornice had quickly built up, and we treaded with care to reach the small cairn on the summit. We were treated to fine views to the Monadh Liath and the north-west, but the cloud parted only occasionally for glimpses over Loch Einich to Braeraich and Cairn Toul.

About turn, and towards Carn Ban we were directly into the wind, goggles on, hoods up and buffs over our mouths. The plateau over to Carn Ban and onto Mullach Clach a'Bhlair is fairly featureless - even worse with the limited visibility and snow cover today. Poor Lucy was recovering from a bug and struggled today, but she pushed on, with a tad persuading from hubbie Dave. Some deep snow was trudged through and we found the track that cuts across the moor, only to lose it and find it several times as it slipped under and out of the snow cover. Navigation was tough, but the cairn was found as darkness began to pull in. A few poses for the camera, then we made rapid progress to Glen Feshie below. The bridge over the River Feshie was washed away a year ago or so, so we kept to the east bank of the river with its track for half of the way for our return to Auchlean.

Some photos are on our Flickr page and there's a short video on our YouTube Channel. If you fancy doing this route, then here's a route guide on our website.

Cruachan Horseshoe & Macrahanish, Nov'11

2011-12-23T09:57:00.004Z

We were based in Argyll for the weekend, at a small village called Clachan, several miles south of Tarbert. To get here by road requires a long journey through lovely scenery and is actually further south than Edinburgh !

On the Saturday a group of us met to bag the two Munro peaks on the Cruachan Horseshoe. Weather was pretty calm with cloud on the higher peaks. Reaching the dam is always dramatic - this vast monalith built in the 1960's not only holds water but also contains a power station within its concrete structure. After passing the point where you can see along a tunnel through to the other side of the mountain, we headed onto the col between Beinn a'Bhuiridh and Stob Diamh and straight into mist - it was a day to test navigation skills ! Onto Stob Garbh, I had to use the GPS to remind me that this wasn't our first Munro, it was a few minutes further north.

Stob Diamh bagged, and a change of direction to aim for Ben Cruachan. We had lunch on Drochaid Ghlas, sheltering out of the wind that had by now had picked up. Onto Ben Cruachan, we enjoyed a bit of easy scrambling, but with the rock being a tad slippy, we avoided the 'bad step' by taking a detour down a loose chimney. Only the base of the trig point now remains on the summit, a little sad ! No views today.

Had weather been better, we would have headed over to Taynuilt Peak, but instead we headed directly south to the col between Ben Cruachan and Meall Cuanail, then followed the wet and loose path down to the reservoir. Above the water a fine path was followed and we strolled enjoying a blether back to the dam.

Next day Keith and I headed down to a windy Macrahanish near Campbeltown. This is a vast beach where today huge breakers rolled onto the sands and groups of Ringed Plovers prodded the ground for lunch. Lovely !
Some photos of the hillwalk and on the beach are on our Flickr page.

Glen Lochay Munros, Nov'11

2011-12-16T10:49:00.005Z

Last month I enjoyed one of the best hill-runs in stunning weather !

I drove up to Glen Lochay on a cold winter morning through fog most of the way. Arriving at the end of the glen I was greeted by a sign pointing to a new car-park and asking people not to park their cars any further. I guessed this was probably due to the damage that the cows have made to the road (and probably the cars they lick !). Further on the road comes to an end, with another road owned by the Hydro heading up hill. This road is now terribly pot-holed and possibly no longer maintained. I gingerly drove up the road, though the mist and parked by the large pipe.

Off we set, to be greeted by a sign "All dogs must be kept on lead" - I guess the landowner is choosing to ignore Scotland's access code ! A fine track was ran along for a few km, then uphill on grassy terrain. The views just opened and with clear blue skies, the day was simply stunning. We ran over only 4 Munros today, as with a slightly later than planned start and limited daylight Ben Challum had to be dropped from the route. We met no-one else, but some ptarmigan checked us out on Meall Ghlas and a few deer could be spotted. The sunset over Arrochar was amazing and it was back to the car in darkess and fog using the head torch.

Some photos are on Flickr webpage.

A video is on YouTube (sorry about the sound quality).

If you fancy doing this trip, have a look at the Glen Lochay Munros route on my website.

Easains, Meagaidh & Glenfinnan, Nov'11

2011-12-14T23:47:00.005Z

Three days spent up in the Lochaber area, bagging 9 Munros. Our intention was to head up the Grey Corries on the Saturday, but a forecast of very strong winds and much rain made us choose the stand-by route up the Easains instead. Wind did really pick up during the day, so much so that instead of returning back along the crest, we dropped north into Coire Laire, eventually picking up a faint path to beat back to the cars. Fortunately the Station BunkHouse at Tulloch has a superb drying room !

Day two saw us again whimping out of the Grey Corries, and I could see the disappointment on Dave's face. However, when I suggested attempting a 5 Munro bag on the Creag Meagaidh group, his face lit back up. We were treated to fine weather over Beinn Teallach, Beinn a'Chaorainn and Creag Meagaidh. The mist pulled in suddenly on Stob Poite Coire Ardair, but the remaining two summit we attained fairly easily, returning to car as the last light disappeared.

Out west and to Glenfinnan for our third and final day of hillwalking. The Munro circuit of Sgurr Thuilm and Sgurr nan Coireachan was our target. A fine road travels up Glen Finnan, with much construction currently taking place - some kind of hydro scheme I believe. Ideal conditions, and being a Monday, we had the hills to ourselves and took time to take in the superb views all round.

Some photos are on the Flickr site .

Liathach, October 2011

2011-10-24T23:23:00.006+01:00

Liathach is a formidable mountain in the north-west with two Munro summits linked by a ridge with a series of pinnacles. Our October trip on this mountain was organised with the hope that sun would shine and we could bound over the technical sections with ease. A forecast was predicting improving conditions from late morning onwards, so after meeting early with our clients (all 9 of them), we suggested delaying our start by an hour. This seemed to pay off as the cloud level gradually lifted from around its initial 200m.

Setting off, we were rewarded with views as we hiked up the steep ground in Toll a'Meitheach. Onto the crest and into the cloud, the cloud stubbornly stuck at around 800m, and wind was now also picking up. The quartize topped Spidean Mialach was bagged, followed by some careful navigation and footwork down to attain the foot of the Am Fasarinen Pinnacles. We headed up the first of these pinnacles to get a taste of the drops and exposure. No other views were to be had and the strong winds and gusts prevented us from taking in any of the other pinnacles. Instead, we chose to stick to the path a few metres below, which itself is fairly exposed with a couple of sections where boot and weather errosion have washed it away. Onto Mullach an Rathain, the second Munro summit, with a chance to peer over the Northern Pinnacles which lead to the mainland's hardest Munro top - Meall Dearg. Leaving the ridge behind, we descended rapidly southwards and gazed at the view ahead once we were below the mist - Liathach is one of the highest mountains in the area, so seemed to attract cloud, whereas the mountains to the south were cloud-free al day today ! All in all, a fine day and we'll be back for another visit next year. Some more photos are on our Flickr page .

Aonach Eagach, 1 Oct'11

2011-10-05T20:19:00.003+01:00

Here's what Raymond Clark wrote about our guided trip along the Aonach Eagach with Jim Groark (photos are copyright Raymond Clark) :

"Went up to Glencoe at the weekend to tackle the Aonach Eagach - this was my third attempt this year with the previous 2 cancelled due to high winds and heavy rain.

The forecast was for showers and very little wind so on Saturday morning I found myself leaving Edinburgh at 5.30am to rendezvous at Perth at 6.30 with my guide for the day, Jim Groark. Arrived at the lay-by at the start of the walk a bit earlier than our 9.30 scheduled start time so there was plenty of time to admire the scenery. A couple of ambulances and a police car sped past going South and with the two other climbers travelling up from Glasgow and with very little traffic heading north, we expected the worst - a bad accident and major hold ups. Luckily not as at about 9.15 they turned up - a quick trip along to the Clachaig to drop off one car for the return journey and then back to the starting point and we were on route 10 minutes after our scheduled start.

The trek up Am Bodach took us just over an hour and being the first to set out, had no queues in front of us. The 20m descent of Am Bodach set us up nicely for the day giving us our first chance to get our hands on the rock and check our nerves would hold up - especially with the rock being damp and greasy. The first obstacle tackled with no incident, we had a break to allow two faster climbers past and set off for our first munro of the day, Meal Dearg - bypassing the Chancellor - maybe leave that one for another day.

A bit weird as most of the time we were in a cloud sandwich with low cloud preventing us from seeing what was below us and high cloud blocking out the sun. Meall Dearg came and went and then we were on the Pinnacles and the Aonach Eagach itself - I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the day (definitely prefer ascending to descending though). It was at this point that the low cloud cleared to give us a clear view of the valley below and our surroundings - even the Ben was clear on the summit!! - it was also the point we had our first and only shower of the day.

Up and over the Pinnacles and before we knew it, we had bagged the minor top of Stob Coire Leith and were heading along to the second munro of the day, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. Luckily the showers had stopped by then but with no wind at all, this brought out the flies - absolutely hundreds of them. We spent a bit of time here gawping at the view and then headed down to the Clachaig - we took the route heading towards the Pap and before you knew it we were on the road to the Clachaig. Back at the car, we took a timecheck and worked out we had taken 8 hours for the whole day - it felt like 4 I was enjoying myself so much.

I've now bagged the 11 Munro's on the Cuillins and the 2 on the Aonach Eagach in the last month so I think I'll take it easy now with some "easy" Munros!!"

Ben Nevis via Carn Mor Dearg Arete, Sept'11

2011-09-12T21:59:00.002+01:00

The day after the Ben Nevis Hill Race, we'd organised a walk up Britain's highest mountain, taking an interesting route rather than the usual 'tourist route' that most people take. Weather looked promising as we headed out from the Youth Hostel and up the well maintained path. The fine weather had brought out many walkers, some fast pairs and other slower groups, some of who were tackling a '3 Peaks Challenge'. We left the crowds behind at the 'halfway lochan' and crossed over to Coire Leis, from where an enormous trudge over steep grassy hillside brought us out onto the summit of Carn Mor Dearg. Time to take in some views, and wow, what views ! The whole of Ben Nevis's north face was laid before us, massive and forboding. I talked Sam into packing her poles away and we crossed the arete quite quickly and with sure-footed progress. The arete is classed as a Grade 1 Scramble and is a fine introduction before trying your hand at the Aonach Eagach, An Teallach, Torridon or Skye. One last haul and we were on the summit of 'The Ben'. It was now 5pm and most of the hill walkers had headed back home. We had the summit virtually to ourselves as cloud flowed up from Coire Leis. Some of the views on the way down were quite spectacular and we could see all the way to Mull, Rum and Skye.

Some photos are on Flickr, and a 360 degree panorama from Carn Mor Dearg Arete is on Occipital . We'll be doing the route again on 17 September - details are here.

Aonach Eagach, July 31 2011

2011-08-08T11:24:00.003+01:00

The Aonach Eagach is a fine ridge and most people find it a bit daunting. It requires a decent head for heights and best done in fine weather, preferably on dry rock. We were aiming to head out on the Sunday, however the forecast for this particular weekend was for good conditions on Saturday and a wet, blustery day on Sunday. A quick email and phone around and we switched days, however one person couldn't make Saturday, so we were down to three folk plus guide.

We met up at the car-park at the eastern end of Glencoe, early enough to get easily parked and headed up. The well maintained path sticks to the southern shoulder of Am Bodach, but we kept lower down following the burn up to the col between Sron Gharbh and Am Bodach. This has the advantages of giving us a stream to top-up our waterbottles and we get to see the ridge earlier ! On the ridge we enjoyed some excellent scrambling in fine weather. We kept our pace up to keep just infront of a large group which paid off, as on the second Munro we looked back and could see many people struggling to get past the bottleneck on the pinnacles.

A video clip is on YouTube and photos are in Dropbox. We've another trip arranged for later this month and again in late September, details here.

Fisherfield Big 6, August'11

2011-08-06T18:31:00.003+01:00

by Richard Kermode

We walked in to Shenaval in the sunshine with some great views of the Fisherfield peaks and made our plans in a quiet bothy. It didn't take long for the midges to find us though!

The next day we crossed the rivers and climbed up Beinn a'Chlaidheimh in very muggy low cloud that seemed to stay clinging to the summits all day. It was only after a very hot traverse of Sgurr Ban and Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair that we were treated to a view of the wild landscapes around us as the sun came out for a hour during which we rested...

Sadly the summit never quite came out from beneath their hats of cloud and after a visit to Beinn Tarsuinn we returned to the Shenaval for the evening.

Early in the morning we heard the wind and rain start up, but when we set off it was all quiet and we were soon well on our way to A'Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor with the promise of a views. As we gained our first views of the mountains the rain came on and decided to join us for the rest of the day more or less (because we were such good company!) and so we were denied the views from the summit of A'Mhaighdean. As we emerged from the cloud Ruadh Stac Mor was free of the cloud and so we scampered up the bouldery slopes towards the summit in an attempt to get the views only to be greeted with strong gusting squalls of even heavier rain. Oh well!

We didn't hang around long and were soon back on a good track towards Shenaval and the swollen rivers when the rain came down even more fiercely for several hours. The rivers and waterfalls forming on the impressive sandstone and quartzite cliffs were stupendous! Unfortunately the rain had reminded the boggy corner what it was meant to do so we endured some heavy going between river crossings to reach the bothy where everybody was taking shelter from the storm and a jolly night was had by all with a fire and whisky!

The rain showed no sign of letting up and the rivers were breaking their banks throughout the Strath so we decided to make for the cars the following morning and did so with gusty winds and light showers before a gorgeous hour of sunshine saw us leaving the Fisherfield wilderness.

Skye Munros, July 2011

2011-08-02T11:22:00.003+01:00

Two clients joined Bruce Poll on the Cuillin Ridge Munros in July. Being pretty fit, the clients with Bruce managed to squeeze all the main ridge Munros into 3 days. Day 1 saw them up the southern end on Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alasdair. They were aiming for Sgurr Mhic Choinnich when the weather deterioated, in fact it became super-wet so they abb'd into the 'Stone Chute' and headed down. This didn't put them off and day 2 saw them bag Sgurr Mhic Choinnich along with the In-Pinn and along the ridge to Sgurr a'Mhadaidh. In decent weather, the northern 3 Munros were bagged on day 3, that's 11 Munros in 3 days - 2 happy girls !

Our next trip is at the end of August and another at the beginning of September, details here .

Fisherfield Big 6, July'11

2011-07-14T19:11:00.004+01:00

Three intrepid and hardy souls wanted a guide to take them into one of the remotest and beautiful areas in Scotland. This trip usually involved 4 days - a walk in, 2 days on the hills and a walk out. We were intending to do it in 3 days. Fine conditions were had for our 2 and a half hour walk from Coire Haillie to Shenevall Bothy, where we based ourselves. Although we tented, cooking was done in the bothy, primarily to keep out of the midges. And day 2 began with an effort to keep the little buggers at bay ! The walk begins with a wade across a river, then onto a fine path into Gleann na Muice Beag - weather was looking promising. The higher we aimed up the path, the lower the mist dropped, until at a height of 500m when we entered a pea-souper.

All the way over Ruadh Stac Mor to A'Mhaigdean I had nose to my compass and occasional check of GPS. A real shame, cause the view from the summit of A'Mhaigdean north west must be one of the finest in the country. No let up in the mist onto Beinn Tarsuinn - Ali did think of dropping out at this point, but determination prevailed ! Over the last 3 Munros the weather improved and all the effort was rewarded with some decent views. Back to the bothy and time for grub, joining the company of a couple of other guys. In our team, Ali was now up to around 150 Munros, Tom had around 40 left to go and Catherine worked out she only had 19 left. The walk out the next day began with midge-nets on. Although we didn't know it at the time, we had been very lucky with the weather - in nearby Inverness the golf open was cancelled due to landslides caused by rain !

Some photos are on Flickr and a video has been put on YouTube .

Aonach Eagach, Jul'11

2011-07-07T08:48:00.004+01:00

A low pressure system was beginning to push its way from the west, with rain and wind forecast for the afternoon, so I met up with Richard at the Aonach Eagach car-park at 7am. Starting this early ensured we'd miss the difficult conditions. We headed up, noticing that the constructed path had been extended and now turns away from the burn - I wonder where it heads onto the crest ? We stuck to the tried and tested route, which allows for an occasional drink from the burn on the way up. Onto the col between Am Bodach and Sron Gharbh, the ridge dramatically comes into view. Cloud was flowing from the north, then as it hit the ridge, it was pushed upwards by wind from the south - it was windy up here. The rock however was dry. We headed along the ridge, making quick work of the scrambly sections as we gazed in awe down the deep chasms falling either side of us. Once past the most tricky section, the scrambling easies, then it's a striaghtforward walk up onto the westerly Munro. There are various options descending, of which I prefer the scree-run from the col between Stob Coire Leith and onto Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. We came across of fox sculking around and even managed to catch a video clip of it. The weather held nicely all day. The next trip is planned for the 31 July. You can watch a video of our day on Facebook/YouTube.

Navigation Sessions in the Pentlands, June'11

2011-07-01T14:36:00.003+01:00

Two evenings and two groups. Some were learning new skills while others were brushing up on rusty techniques learnt many years ago in the Scouts and Girl Guides ! Perfect conditions on both nights, although Thursday was slightly chillier than the Tuesday. With the long days, we were out until after 9pm on both evenings, map reading, relating the compass to the land, estimating timings and generally enjoying ourselves. Next session is on 20 September .

Knoydart and Arnisdale, Jun'11

2011-06-26T10:53:00.002+01:00

Knoydart is a remote peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. Awkward to access, the area does however have some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. We'd got chatting with the Glenelg Inn and organised a 4 day trip into Knoydart while based in the Inn and using a boat to get over Loch Hourn from Arnisdale to Barisdale. Weather for our 4 days was picture perfect and we bagged Beinn Sgritheall above Arnisdale on day 1, Luinne Bheinn on day 2 and after a rest day, Ladhar Bheinn (or Larven) was ascended on day 4. Our boat trips into Barisdale made the days that bit special and we watched in amazement while porpoises swam alongside us. Quality cuisine in the Glenelg Inn was followed each day by a soak in bath to ease our legs ! Glenelg is just a short boat-trip over to Skye and Chris and Marion headed over for a wander up Blaven in superb conditions. Next trip is at the end of August. Some photos have been posted on the Flickr site and Chris will hopefully put a writeup of his trip on his Cairn in the Mist blog .

Top 10 Challenge for Whizz Kidz, June'11

2011-06-19T12:53:00.004+01:00

Some of the guys at Molson Coors were attempting a challenge, with the goal of raising funds for the Whizz Kidz charity. They'd decided to try and get three teams covering the 10 highest peaks in the UK and therefore contacted us for some help. A plan was hatched to have one team in the Cairngorms (for Cairngorm, Ben Macdui, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine and Braeraich), one team in the Nevis range (Anoach Beag, Aonach Mor, Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis) and another on Ben Lawers on the 18th June. Unseasonal and unsettled weather tried to spoil the trip, but there was no thwarting these determined folk. Bruce Poll and myself helped on the Nevis range. We started the day in fine conditions plodding up grassy slopes onto Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag both in mist, then carefully picked our way down to the col below Carn Mor Dearg. The weather began to close in, so full waterproofs on and we scrambled up onto Carn Mor Dearg. A bit of vertigo tested some members along the arete before a final pull up the boulders on Ben Nevis's eastern shoulder to gain the summit. We hadn't seen anyone else all day until we arrived at the cairns and it was a bit of a shock to not only see so many folk, but also the amount of litter and untidy memorial plaques and stones. Still none of this could put a damper on the ellation of what these guys had achieved ! We contacted the other teams and found out they'd all been successful. Well done ! Some photos of the Nevis group are on my Flickr site and Mark Hunter's Flickr site. Some photos of the Cairngorm group are on Tim Hall's Facebook. and Adrian Davis's Wildoutdoor's Facebook page If you'd like to donate then you can do so through Just Giving for Whizz Kidz.

Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon, June'11

2011-06-16T19:31:00.004+01:00

It's June, time of long days, warm temperatures (hopefully), midges and most importantly the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon. Two years ago I'd competed with Jon Ascroft in the A Class and we won. Last year I was teamed with Jacqui Higgingbottom again in the A Class and we won the Mixed Category. This year Jon and I decided to try something new - either the Elite or Score Class. The Elite is much the same as the A Class, except longer - you're given a series of points on a linear route and you have to navigate to them as quickly as possible. The Score Class is very different - you're given around 4 times as many points as the Elite, then you have to decide on a route. But there's a catch, each of the points has a score value and the winner is the team that gets the most points in a defined time. So it was either speed, stamina and navigation, or speed, stamina and navigation combined with strategy, time estimation and pace analysis. We opted for the latter, it seemed more challenging !

The location of the event is kept as a secret until a day or so prior to the event. It was announced on the Thursday - Inverlael, south-east of Ullapool. A fairly remote area and pretty navigationally testing. I’ve been in so many times before - Seana Bhraig is one of my favourite Munros - therefore I was hoping that my knowledge of the area combined with Jon's strength and logical analysis would work to our advantage.

Day 1 and the organisers had arranged some superb weather for our start, so even if we didn’t do particularly well competitively, there was a photo competition in which to enter. We had 7 hours to reach the overnight camp, bagging as many points on the way. At Loch Glascarnoch a quarter of an hour was spent marking the map and selecting a route. We’d built in several options for the latter part of the route should we begin to tire. We were also intending to bag a couple of Munros on the way - Beinn Dearg and Seana Bhraigh. Our plan went well and we stuck to our intended route which worked out at 40km with 2350m of ascent. We managed the route in 6:53hr, which included a several minute stop on Seana Bhraig to take in the view and shoot a few photos. At the end of Day 1 we were surprised at our leading position and slightly shocked at the size of the gap between us and second place. The pressure was now well and truly on!

On a Mountain Marathon you're carrying all you need for a 2-day run across hills, including tent, sleeping bag, food and cooking equipment. You have to have a little luxury or two, mine were dry socks, a clean t-shirt and wet-wipes. You may well scoff, but these little luxuries make all the difference to being comfortable or miserable, albeit at a weight cost. So after food, an analysis of our pacing and route choice on the day and pondering the next day's possibilities on our map, a good nights sleep was in order.

The next morning we awoke to clear skies and midge-free air - this is as good as it gets ! We were given our target-points, plotted them on our map and headed off. Today we had 6 hours in which to bag a decent score over more rough terrain. Our route included two Munros (Cona Mheall and Beinn Dearg again) and worked out at 31km and 1950m of ascent. We timed it to perfection - well almost, we were 53 seconds over our 6 hour deadline, for which we got a 2 point penalty (mainly down to me flagging towards the end of the day). Upon reaching the finish line we found out we were leading, but the trouble with the Score Class, you don't know the placings until everyone is in. We found out that last night's second place were already in, so were pretty confident...and ecstatic. We'd worked hard, planned our route well, navigated spot on, monitored our pacing and kept an eye on each other's performance - all paying off. It turned out that we'd also ran the route that the Route Planner (Andy Spenceley) had in mind for the maximum score. Our score was 558 (320 day 1 and 238 day 2) and we were the only team to get over 500 points. The icing on the cake was still to come, we'd also won the trophy for the Outdoor Industry Championship. Chuffed !

Several of our Carnethy Club mates had also done well. Joanne Anderson and Helen Bonsor won the Ladies B Class, Jacqui Higgingbottom with Fabiene Thomson won the Ladies A, Matt Davies and Lewis Grundy were 4th in the Score with Craig Mattock and Adrian Davies just behind and Konrad Rawlik with Ondrej Mandula came 4th in the Elite.

Some photos are posted on Flickr here and results and more are on the LAMM site here.

4000s Challenge, May'11

2011-05-14T19:15:00.002+01:00

Myself and two hardy souls (Jon and Gayle) headed up into the Cairngorms for the first day of our 4000s Challenge. This would hopefully see us on the summits of the highest mountains in the UK - all of the peaks over 4000ft. Our first day went exactly as planned taking in Cairngorm and Ben Macdui. some tricky navigation on our initial descent from Macdui and a fairly strong wind didn't prevent us from enjoying views of the vast plateaux and deep coires. Day 2 began with some navigation tutition as we aimed for the Chalamain Gap and the Lairig Ghru. After struggling against gale force winds, we changed plans and headed up to Ryvonan Bothy then Bynack Mor - Jon's 50th Munro ! A day of rainbows. Our final day was supposed to be the 4 4000ft peaks in the Nevis range, but since we had been thwarted the previous day, we changed plans and headed back to the Lairig Ghru via Rothiemurchus. Wonderful views and extensive twitching - we came across snow bunting, meadow warblers, grouse, ptarmigan and a capercaillie that had flown up into a Scot's Pine. Up to Braeraich, the cloud cleared and our effort was rewarded with magical views over to Cairn Toul and Ben Macdui. Gayle's knee was giving her a bit of jip, so a decision was made to return. As we left the summit cairn the cloud returned and again engulfed the plateau - it was as if everything was planned. A superb few days were had, made even better by the accommodation at Creag Meagaidh and food at Eagle View, both of which are in Newtonmore. More photos are on my Flickr site.

Skye Munros, 2-5 May'11

2011-05-12T16:12:00.000+01:00

For the second time in three weeks Skye was blessed with wall to wall sunshine and light winds. The only bit of cloud appeared on the walk in on the last day, but only added to the atmosphere of the west Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean and the eeriness of walking beneath the Executioner on Am Bhastier. Bruce and Dougie were smiles and suntans around, Chris was very pleased with his success on the Inn Pinn, and poor Ian's knees will have to fight up there another day yet. We will be back again in a weeks time hoping once more for some great photo making views, including the distant Western Isles. More photos to follow soon !

Mullardoch & Affric, May'11

2011-05-07T19:06:00.003+01:00

The peaks around Loch Mullardoch form a long chain of 12 Munros - ideal for 3 days hillwalking ! We'd organised a trip based around the 'Top' bagging requirements of a client and this sparked a lot of interest. A boat trip on day 1 from Mullardoch Dam took us along to the foot of An Socach which was ascended in glorious sunshine. Heading eastwards, 3 other windswept Munros were walked along while we took in the fabulous views to Applecross, Torridon, Skye and the Fannichs. Cloudier conditions on day 2 saw us joined by Adrian Davis for a jaunt up the 3 Munros above Altbeithe Hostel. Adrian has a wealth of wildlife and flora knowledge which he shared with us in his own humorous style. Our third and final day took us up a circuit on the highest mountains west of the Great Glen. Long ridges - narrow, broad, grassy and bouldery all above dark lochans with wildlife abound. Happy clients at the end of the trip, '4000s Challenge' next ! Some photos of the trip are on my Flickr site.

Ben Nevis via Carn Mor Dearg Arete, Apr'11

2011-05-02T15:03:00.003+01:00

Ben Nevis normally attracts a fair amount of hillwalkers. Add in a Bank Holiday weekend and fine weather and the number swells - I've never seen the 'tourist route' so busy ! We started off from the visitor centre and headed up the 'tourist route' to the 'halfway lochan' where we split into two groups. I took Stewart away from the crowds and up Carn Mor Dearg first, with some of the most amazing views onto the Ben's cliffs. We continued up Ben Nevis itself via the Carn Mor Dearg Arete - a narrow ridge linking the two mountains. Rejoining the crowds on the summit is always a bit of a shock, but it was great to see everyone in good spirits enjoying themselves while taking in the views and having the occasional snow-ball fight. Some photos have been posted on my Flickr page.

Skye Munros, April '11

2011-05-02T11:14:00.004+01:00

Weather has been superb of late and this helped make for an unforgettable trip for two clients wanting to bag the Skye Munros. Bruce Poll, the guide for the trip, tailored the days to allow not only the Munro summits to be reached, but also some classic scrambles were achieved. These included the Thearlaich Dubh Gap (or just 'TD Gap') to Sgurr Alasdair, Pinnacle Ridge on Sgurr nan Gillean and the Clach Glas route up Blaven. Some photos are here on Flickr.

Aonach Eagach, Apr'11

2011-04-17T18:22:00.003+01:00

After a weekend of superb weather, midweek came as a bit of a disappointment. Mist hugged anything over 700m and a fair wind was blowing. Three hardy souls had booked to do the Aonach Eagach ridge above Glencoe, but alas, we had to switch to back-up plan and do an interesting scramble up Beinn a'Bhethir a few miles away instead. Still, we enjoyed an excellent day out on the hills and Margaret and Bruce bagged two new Munro. Next date planned for the Aonach Eagach ridge is on 29th May.

Newtonmore Navigation, Mar'11

2011-04-14T19:27:00.004+01:00

Two days spent in the Monadh Liath above Newtonmore learning new navigating techniques, 6 hardy folk braved thick snow and mist. Eagle View Guest House owners were our host for this interesting weekend where folk were also surprised by ptarmigan in their winter plumage, hares bounding across the moor and huge cornices overlooking dark coires. We also found that some things on the map and land didn't correspond - "never rely on man-made features, always rely on contours first, natural handrails second" was the main realisation ! Some photos are posted on Flickr

Winter Climbing in the Cairngorms, Mar'11

2011-03-18T22:17:00.005Z

For my Winter Mountain Leader assessment, I need to do at least 10 recognised Winter climbs at Grade 1 or above. I had no idea what this meant, so booked myself onto Glenmore's 'Introduction to Winter Climbing' two-day course. Two of us, Mark and myself were expertly taught the winter climbing techniques by Nancy Chalmers. My knot-work needs a bit of practice, but I now know what a 'Grade 1' defines. Pictured is Mark, chuffed after we'd climbed up through deep snow and on ice to the top of 'Jacob's Ladder' above Coire an t-Sneachda, just west of Cairngorm's summit. More pictures are on my Flickr pages.

Scotland's Far North, Mar'11

2011-03-05T22:21:00.004Z

Constantly checking the weather forecasts occasionally pays off ! After aiming to Newtonmore to prepare for a 2 day navigation course, I drove up to Assynt. Upon arriving in the dark, it began raining, then cleared as morning broke. Canisp was the first of 3 planned walks, which is a fine hill with stunning views overlooking Suilven, Cul Mor and Stac Pollaidh. Glas-bheinn was next, a Corbett linked to Conival and Ben More Assynt, this time with a spectacular aspect onto Quinaig (see photo). And finally Ben Hee, a tad unexciting after the two earlier walks, but this hill was the only one with significant snow, albeit on the summit. Only 18 Corbetts left to do !

Mountain Marathon Navigation day

2011-02-27T22:37:00.003Z

A training day in the Pentland hills, exploring navigation techniques while running fast over varied terrain. After setting a good grounding, we searched for various points in cols, on summits, on burns and tricky re-entrants. The weather was kind which also rewarded our effort with some fine views. Another training day has been organised for the 2nd April - contact me for more info !

Misty Navigation

2011-02-20T18:28:00.002Z

Five guys on today's Basic Navigation Skills session in The Pentland Hills. Lots of muck and some mist to challenge. An excellent day !

Torridon, Jan'11

2011-01-23T23:37:00.003Z

For post Christmas and a New Year break, we'd booked a small cottage in Diabaig on the edge of Torridon. The country was in the grip of the coldest month for years, but fortunately the north-west coast seemed to be spared the worst of the weather. So lots of stuff done including Corbett bagging, coastal walks and quite a bit of eating and drinking.

Photos have been added on a Flickr set and route descriptions of the two Corbett walks are here : Beinn Damh and Sgurr Dubh and Sgurr nan Lochain Uaine.

Ceannacroc Circuit, Dec'10

2010-12-14T19:15:00.002Z

A bit of a rest from the thick snow, and I darted towards Kintail. Above Loch Cluanie, and south of Glen Affric there's a group of several Munro and Corbett peaks. I'd approached the Munros Sail Chaorain, Carn Ghluasaid and Sgurr nan Conbhairean from Loch Cluanie in the past, but to include the two Corbetts to the north-east, a different approach was needed. I decided to try and head in from Glen Moriston following the River Doe. An obvious track can be cycled along, tho a bike with strong suspension is needed to cope with the rough sections beyond the houses. 6km up the glen, the bike was left by 2 bridges and I headed directly up Aonach Shasuinn. Bitterly cold with crisp air and superb views.

Down and over to Carn a'Choire Ghairbh, then a slog up to Sail Chaorainn, I was beginning to run out of daylight, so cut the walk short and headed down eastwards to pick up my bike for the return.

Back in the woods, and now in near darkness, the sound of my bike on the rough track disturbed a deer which then charged into the fence, trapping its foot in the wire. With a bit of effort and some patience, I managed to free the leg and off it bounded, forgetting the pain it had just endured. Back to the car, temperature was now well below zero !

Photos of the stunning views are on My Flickr page.

Navigation Day by Tyndrum

2010-11-15T12:03:00.002Z

7 hardy souls and myself arrived at Tyndrum's Real Food Cafe for a day's navigation practice. Low-level mist wouldhave made for an extremely challenging time, however this cleared quickly and by the time we'd had our classroom session, fine conditions with superb views had developed. Pacing, timing, aiming off, handrailing and other techniques were practiced and tested on the lower slopes of Ben Challum - we ran out of time to reach the summit. A return to The Real Food Cafe for a de-brief, which was incredibly busy with runners from the Kinlochleven -Tynrum Race - met Richie Cunningham, who came 1st vet. Some more photos of the day are on Chris Highcock's Picassa

Navigation Session

2010-10-31T19:46:00.002Z

Four folk on this weekend's Navigation Session in The Pentland Hills. Perfect conditions for map and compass work, superb views and fine banter. That's the last one for this year, next one will be late February or early March.

Glen Loy

2010-10-27T12:07:00.001+01:00

Glen Loy near Fort William is hemmed in by two long mountain ridges. To the south is Druim Fada, just under Corbett's 2500ft height and to the north are Meall a'Phubuill and Beinn Bhan, fine hills with cracking views. This waterfall is at the start of the route up Beinn Bhan. My Corbett tally is accumulating, less than 40 peaks now left to complete a full round !

Lake District

2010-10-25T12:13:00.001+01:00

A definite west/east divide in the weather this weekend - the west enjoying blue skies and a fresh feel, the east sulked in low cloud. Time was spent generally pottering around Ullswater and Ambleside, culminating in a fast run from sunny Kirkstone Pass, aiming northwards into cloud to High Street and beyond.

Mamores, Aug'10

2010-08-29T22:08:00.001+01:00

Lovely conditions for a jog up the eastern Mamore peaks. Jon and Tony were pushed for time, so after a slog up the scree on Sgurr Eilde Mor, Jake and I headed off without them to Glas Bheinn - a Corbett to the south-east. Rain lashed us on the return to Kinlochleven - unseasonably cold and windy.

Above Glen Roy, Aug'10

2010-08-25T17:01:00.001+01:00

4 Corbetts above the famed 'Parallel Roads' in Glen Roy was today's objective and upon arriving at the start point I felt like turning back home due to the horrendous rain lashing on the car roof. But mutt and me persisted in rain, bagging the first Corbett Beinn Iaruinn in a thick pea-souper. The remaining 3 Corbetts are all called Carn Dearg (meaning red cairn) - what imaginative guys named these ? Rain stopped, cloud magically lifted and we enjoyed a fabulous run along the broad grassy crests, tho as you can see from the photo, it was just a tad windy !

Glenshee 9, Aug'10

2010-08-12T11:50:00.001+01:00

There are nine Munros forming a circuit around Glenshee Ski centre. There's a race along this route and this year it was a Scottish Championship event, therefore a top notch field turned out. Misty from the start and over the first two Munros - Creag Leacach and Glas Maol, I had people hanging on my tail, guessing that I knew the way. The mist lifted thereafter and those runners headed off at a fast pace. It's a long trudge, with not much ascending, bar the heather clad climb up Carn.

Tom Owens set a new record of 3:07hr - amazing ! I managed to take ten minutes of my previous time to record 4:04hr, tho I was pretty whacked (as seen in the photo taken on Carn a'Gheoidh) and glad to finish. Post race is held in the cafe at the Ski Centre, where a hearty bowl of soup and cakes come as part of the entry fee, which helps raise funds for the Braenar Mountain Rescue Team.

Barra and the Uists, Jul-Aug'10

2010-08-10T08:22:00.001+01:00

A long weekend spent exploring the hills and beaches on the Outer Hebrides. Barra is a mixed bag - a beautiful island with rolling hills, islands, inlets and famed long beaches, yet it is scruffy, particularly Castlebay. The north fares better, with the only tidal airport in Europe. Weather was kind as the grass covered hills were wandered over from Heaval to Grianan and Loch an Diun.

Over to Eriskay, a lovely little island, now connected by causeway to South Uist, then up to the highest peaks on the Uists. When taken as a group, Beinn Mhor, Beinn Choradail and Hecla make for a fairly demanding outing. Hills of surprising character with hidden corries, lochans, ridges and unusual summits. The walk was followed by the mad Ben Kenneth race, in which I came 4th - even tho I was 2 minutes faster than last year when I won !

The return home was via Skye and Kintail and an attempt was made to gain the Corbett Meall Dubh from Glen Moriston. However all access points were blocked either due to forestry operations or the windfarm - the council access officer and the MCoS now have it in hand !

Ossian and The Lakes

2010-07-25T21:00:00.001+01:00

A weekend of contrasts ! Friday was spent wandering in glorious conditions up a couple of Corbetts near Loch Rannoch. Leum Uilleim above Corrour is an interesting hill with great views, Beinn Mholach on the other hand was pretty dull. I did miss the train to Corrour in by seconds, so had to run fast to ensure I managed to bag the hill and get down to Corrour in time for the return train.

On Saturday we headed down to The Lakes to climb Scafell Pike, the highest hill in England. The walk in from Borrowdale was fine, then the mist and rain pulled in quickly. I couldn't believe how many ill-equipped folk were up there - three separate groups were lost and asked for my help to find out where they were ! Scafell Pike bagged, followed by Sca Fell half an hour later. Boulderfield everywhere, not pleasant - will revisit in better conditions.

Later we visited Keswick and did some shopping in outdoor shops - in George Fisher saw my Classic Hill Runs and Races book for sale - signed them, so if you want a signed copy, you know where to go !

Skye, 11-12 July

2010-07-11T15:03:00.000+01:00

The north-west was getting a fair bashing by wind and rain, so any thoughts of scrambling up the Cullin were quickly brushed aside. Still, the tough Glamaig race was taking place on Saturday and the weather turned for the better for the day. Over 100 people ran the race, with Brian Marshall winning (again !!) in just over 51 mins. The slowest person took 2:40hr ! A superb ceilidh was hosted by the Sligachan Hotel in the evening.

Inverlael Munros, 2 July

2010-07-11T14:52:00.000+01:00

Took Sam and Stewart Munro-bagging over the Inverlael peaks in superb conditions. The intention was An Teallach and Fisherfield, but with their time constraints, this group of 6 Munros was opted for, being around 2hrs shorter. Recently felled trees gave us views earlier on the long way to Seana Bhraigh. This first Munro took exactly 2hrs to reach, the remaining hills bagged in much quicker times, with the whole route taking just 6:30hr ! I'd stupidly left my iPhone on Am Faochagach, so after waving the guys bye, returned back up this hill and luckily found it just as the mist pulled in and it began to rain (iPhones don't like getting wet !).

Ben Sheann Hill Race, Jun'10

2010-06-17T09:20:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening saw me taking part in the Ben Sheann hill race near Strathyre. A new, slightly longer route had been devised to avoid tree felling. Tussocky, steep, very rough and with no road-running, this new route is brilliant fun, even better than the old route. The hills of Ben Ledi and Stuc a'Chroin were bathed in a wonderful pastel light, but no time to check out the views, just bound back down through the forest ! I came in 2nd overall and 1st vet, so won a bottle of 12yr old Glenfiddich ! If you're intending to walk up this little hill in the near future, please note that the main path up has been close due to forest operations.

LAMM, June'10

2010-06-13T20:47:00.000+01:00

Just spent the weekend running the LAMM (Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon) with Jacqui Higginbottom. We did A Class and came 3rd overall, 1st mixed pairing and 1st vets ! Glorious and sunny on Saturday's running, thick mist and noses to map and compass on Sunday ! Great fun. Some photos here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenfallon/sets/72157624142376629/

Last Munros (again), Jun'10

2010-06-04T18:48:00.000+01:00

At last, after a few aborted attempts due to poor weather, I've bagged my last two Munros for a record 14 rounds. The last two were Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and the In-Pinn (pictured) on Skye's Black Cuillin. Nowhere near as difficult as I remember - I always get myself uptight preparing for these peaks. Just as well I was there as the two guys climbing infront of me got their rope snagged on the abseil off the In-Pinn - would have been problem without mine as no-one else was climbing after us ! More photos to follow on Flickr soon.

Jura Hill Race and more Corbett bagging, May'10

2010-06-01T13:29:00.001+01:00

An excellent weekend spent on Jura ! Superb weather, except of course on race-day, which had thick hill-mist to challenge the runners - so much so that I was in front of Robb Jebb and Ian Holmes going up the second Pap ! This is a wonderful event and great social catch-up. On the return journey some Corbett bagging saw Beinn Bheula and Beinn an Lochain summited in glorious conditions.

More photos on my Flickr page.

Arran, May'10

2010-05-18T12:14:00.002+01:00

The main ferry to Arran takes a mixed group of people to the island - hill walkers, golfers, twitchers and groups just wanting a weekend on alcohol. The latter tend to stick in Brodick, so away from this town, the island is idilic. For me, the hills beckoned. Friday was spent exploring the western part of the Glenrosa Horseshoe - Beinn Tarsuin, A'Cir, Cir Mhor and a detour up Caisteal Abhail. Superb scenery, some easy scrambling. Saturday was taken up with the Goatfell race - last year I fell badly and ended up in A & E getting several stitches - this year I was determined to cross the finish line intact and in under 1:30hr. Perfect conditions enabled a finish time of 1:29 and no injury. I thought I was a fast descender, but Alan Smith is incredible. Back on the mainland, the evening was spent catching up with friends while admiring the view back to Arran from their house with its elevated position.

Ben Lomond Hillrace, 10 May'09

2010-05-08T23:12:00.003+01:00

Perfect conditions for this year's Ben Lomond hill race ensured a fast time and Prasad didn't disappoint - running up and down the Munro in just over 1hr and 5mins !!!! I managed just over 1:17, coming in 16th. The race has a reputation for casualties and this year was no exception, with Al Anthony (head and chest inujry) and Adrian Davis (slammed knee) being the most notable amongst several. Organiser Don provided a grand location, weather and prize giving with the Carnethy men realing in the booze for top team. More photos on Chris Upson's Picasa and results on SHR here.

Pentlands and Moorfoots, Apr'10

2010-05-01T18:14:00.005+01:00

Was looking for new running routes not too far from home. Near West Linton the southern Pentlands give many possibilities, the best of which I found to be an excellent circuit around Baddingsgill. Details on the South Pentlands page along with a few other fine runnable routes.

On Friday it was into the Moorfoot hills above Walkerburn. Lovely terrain, easy navigation and fine views, especially to the Eildons. I do like having Fridays off work !

Mull and more, Apr'10

2010-05-01T17:56:00.003+01:00

It was the Mull Monsterette this weekend - a tough run up A'Choich and Ben More on Mull. Last time this race was ran, it was a Scottish Championship race and therefore had a huge field. This year only 19 runners turned up - still a class field tho and a great event. Was won by an in-form Tom Smith. The previous day saw Stewart and myself bag Beinn Sgulaird and Creach Bheinn north of Oban. Perhaps this explains why we were both slower than last time on the race ?

Meall nan Tarmachan Hill Race, Apr'10

2010-04-19T22:06:00.003+01:00

The inaugural Meall nan Tarmachan Hill Race saw 68 runners challenged by April snows on higher ground. With 700m of ascent and a distance of 9.5km, the race was categorised short, but it felt much more testing with rough terrain and the recent falls of snow. The race was won by Brian Marshall with Tom Smith of Lochaber and Paul Faulkner of Carnethy second and third. Angela Mudge, now back in the country, took the ladies title with Fiona Maxwell being the only other woman to cover the course in under one hour. Both men's and women's team prizes were won by Carnethy.

Everyone agreed this was a superb route and it is hoped to run the race as a regular fixture in the calendar. Many thanks to Killin Outdoor Centre who proposed and organised the event, to the sponsors including Salomon and Hi-Tec for prizes, Teko for giving a pair of running socks to every runner and the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum for handing a goodie-bag to runners as they crossed the finish. The marshals and time-keepers did a brilliant job in the cold conditions and the Killin Womens' Institute put on a great spread of soup, sandwiches and cakes. But most importantly around £1,000 was raised for Cancer Research.

Results are here , and photos on the Flickr page .

Above Loch Tay, Apr'10

2010-04-19T21:48:00.004+01:00

This weekend was mainly about the Meall nan Tarmachan hill race - getting involved, picking up Teko socks, time-keeping and, of course, running the race. You can read more and get results soon. But while we were staying up at Loch Tay, we enjoyed some outdoors fresh air and found out a few things. Firstly a guy called Stephen Pike is going to attempt to break Charlie Campbell's record around the Munros - he heads off in two weeks time and you can follow him on his blog. Then secondly in the same vein, another guy called Gerry McPartlin is currently setting a record for the quickest round of Munros by a pensioner - we saw his van at Lochan na Lairige and you can follow him on his blog .

Above Corrieyairack Pass, Mar'09

2010-04-03T22:17:00.002+01:00

A fine day, sunshine, clear skies and snow higher up. West of Laggan and the Monadh Liath, a fairly desolate area hides. Keith, Jake and me started of at Garva Bridge, then after Meall na h-Aisre, I followed fence-lines, while Jake chased hares over the rough undulating ground. A long run out on the bouldery path was tough going - just to think there is a race along this from Fort Augustus to Kincraig - The Corrieyairack Challenge

Carn an Fhreiceadain, Mar'09

2010-04-01T15:32:00.006+01:00

Just above Kingussie, this interesting Corbett sits in a remote area. Lower ground is covered in juniper and heather. Higher up there are many shooting hides in which to shelter out of the wind. A track gave us a straightforward and easy ascent to the summit with its 8ft high cairn just west of the trig point. Quite blowy on top, but good views today.

Tarmachan Hill Race recci, Mar'09

2010-03-31T23:02:00.002+01:00

The weather was pretty horrible - rain and wind, but that didn't stop 4 of us checking out the Meall nan Tarmachan hill race route. I think we've got the line right and now know where to put a few checkpoints and some flagged sections. Looks like it's gonna be a fab race. More info on my webpage or Killin Outdoor's webpage

The Brack and Ben Donich, Mar'09

2010-03-30T21:25:00.003+01:00

Not the best of weather in the west today, but still enjoyed a fine run up these two corbetts above the 'Rest and Be Thankful' near Arrochar. Lower down fine tracks aid speed and are bike-able. Higher up, the grass covered ground is fairly pathless and, on days like today, navigation is quite testing in thick mist. Was going to head up Beinn an Lochain after these two, but thought better of it !

Chapelgill Hill Race, Mar'09

2010-03-21T22:34:00.004Z

A steep short blast up Chapelgill, south of Biggar.
I'd done this last year and came 4th, but this year Chapelgill was a Scottish Championship race, therefore the competition was going to be much tougher. Before the start, people were heading off in all directions, trying to find the best line up the hill, but in the end it was all down to stamina, speed and a strong descent. I finished 8th out of around 200 runners, but more importantly a full 30secs quicker than last year - so chuffed by that. The race was won strongly by Prasad Prasad. More details on Scottish Hill Runners . Photos on Scottish Hill Runners and my Flickr page. Route details on the Culter Fell page .

My blog has been moved !

2010-03-14T22:18:00.004Z

Just a note to say that you're viewing my blog which has been re-located to http://stevenfallon.blogspot.com/. Google has forced this on FTP blogs, and I'll get the links from the webpages sorted within the next few days. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://stevenfallon.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Skiing in French Alps, Mar'09

2010-03-14T22:02:00.002Z

Back from a great week skiing above Tignes du Lac and Val d'Isere. Huge distances covered, lots of booze and food consumed, amazing views and catch up with friends. Now just got to get into training for first SHR championship hill-race of the year - Chapelgill near Biggar next weekend. More photos on my Flickr webpage

Cairngorms and Geal Charn Mor, Feb'09

2010-02-23T23:01:00.004Z

The weather forecast was for clear cold conditions, so we took the Friday off and headed up into the Cairngorms. We skied, hiked and ran. Busy on the ski runs. Incredibly cold - the lochs were completely frozen over, but the clear skies gave us some terrific views. Lots of mountain hares bounder over Geal Charn Mor's summit plateau, teasing our dog. Some photos on my Flickr page .

Iron Lodge Corbetts, Feb'09

2010-02-08T21:46:00.003Z

A very hard slog over the 3 Corbetts above Iron Lodge near Dornie - at one point it took me nearly half an hour to cover 600m along the crest of Sguman Coinntich cause of the deep snow and ice crust. Superb views, especially considering the weather back down in Edinburgh ! More photos on my Flickr page

Loch Tay Corbetts, Feb'09

2010-02-08T21:23:00.003Z

A crisp day spent running up the Corbetts south of Loch Tay from Ardeonaig. 1700m of climbing and 26km running on lots of ice. Cold but sunny ! Some more photos here

Carnethy, Pentlands, Jan'09

2010-02-02T21:01:00.004Z

Carnethy, 30 Jan 10

A wee walk with my cus, her partner Ang and Keith into the Pentlands today with our dogs. Superb icy conditions ! Photos from my iPhone (hence not great quality) on my Flickr page.

Stob Fear-tomhais - Balquhidder, Jan'09

2010-02-01T20:50:00.002Z

Fine corbett, just me and the dog. Lots of snow and ice. Met up with mum and her two border collies for the walk out. Loch Voil still more or less completely frozen over.

Loch an Eilein, Jan'09

2010-01-16T22:56:00.003Z

The weather didn't really encourage a hillwalk today, so a fine daunder was enjoyed on the slushy tracks around beautiful Loch an Eilein. Some lovely views taken in !

Skiing at Hillend, Jan'09

2010-01-16T22:42:00.004Z

We live right next to a ski-slope, so getting up early, we aimed up for a morning's ski in perfect conditions. Just, the crowds came quicker than expected and it got so busy. Excellent fun - and Keith skied with our dog Jake. Video clip shows me trying out my new 'Action Cam'.

Above Bridge of Orchy, Jan'09

2010-01-16T22:27:00.004Z

The Munros above Bridge of Orchy

The plan was to take a few of us (Sam, Andy, Bob and me) up the five munros above Bridge of Orchy. Sam (left on photo) had done Achallater, Dothaidh and Creachain, so we decided to do the route anti-clockwise incase we had to cut the route short. Well, mist clung to the summits for most of the day and we found the deep snow tiring to trudge thru, so the route was cut short. Still, we manged 3 munros and were rewarded with occasional excellent views. More photos on my Flickr page.

2010-01-06T22:27:00.002Z

NEW YEAR HOLIDAY BASED AT ROSHVEN

As the snowy weather closed in, a group of us headed north-west for a week based in an environmentally friendly house at Roshven. We spent our time there skiing, hillwalking, sightseeing and quite a bit of eating, drinking and blethering. I ran the Aonach Mor Uphill Race on New Year's Day - really tough with the thick snow cover and a few new corbetts in the area were bagged. Some photos on the Flickr page, Aonach Mor results on SHR. Got back to work on Tuesday and remembered to sign up for the Carnethy 5 hillrace which takes place in February - online registration was available at midday and all 550 places were gone by 4:30 the same day !

West of Lochearnhead, Dec'09

2009-12-21T13:13:00.003Z

Creag MacRanaich and Meall an t-Seallaidh

2 Corbetts west of Loch Earn. First time I've been up here in over 10 years - with my parents living just outside Lochearnhead, you'd think I would have been up more frequently ! Really cold, fairly deep snow and fine views east and south (north and west buried in cloud). Just me and the dog -who'd had a great time, even considering the balls of ice that formed between his pads on his paws.

Photos to follow on Flickr later....

Glencoe and Glenachuilish, Dec'09

2009-12-19T17:50:00.002Z

A weekend based at Invercoe Campsite in the village of Glencoe. Stunning weather, crisp and very cold. Saturday saw Keith and I head up The Pap of Glencoe, where we were rewarded with expansive views. On Sunday the Glenachuilish Hill Race took place with around 60 runners sprinting around the forestry tracks in a figure of 8 circuit below Beinn a'Bheithir. A few of us bagged the munro peaks after the race, taking in some fabulous views towards Mull and getting down as the sun set. Photos here, race results here, race route here.

Glen Orchy Corbetts, Dec'09

2009-12-06T22:24:00.003Z

Myself and Andy Fallas went for a fast training run up the corbetts either side of Glen Orchy. Chosen first was the circuit of Beinn Bhreac-liath and Beinn Udlaidh from the north - a fabulous run ending with a superb grassy descent following a weird quartzite dyke back down to the forest. We then drove a few miles down the single track road to the Eas Urchaidh waterfall and ran along an excellent (an cycleable) track north-west through forest to bag Beinn Mhic Mhonaidh - a trudge heading uphill, but such great fun on the fast running back returning to the car – just in time before the wet and windy came in. More photos on my Flickr page.

Cowal, Beinn Lora, Arrochar, Loch Lomond, Nov'09

2009-12-02T21:19:00.002Z

A long relaxed weekend spent based at Kilfinan in the Cowal pinninsula. Never been there before and found the area quite beautiful, especially in the frosty conditions. Some walking, cycling and quite a bit of socialising and drinking. Did the Beinn Lora Hill race on Sunday (came 4th and under 30mins). Returned on Monday, running up Stob Coire Creagach, just north of the Rest and Be Thankful - fine little hill with great views. Some photos on my Flickr page .

On the Radio !

2009-11-27T13:01:00.002Z

On the Radio this weekend ! Being interviewed by Helen Needham for BBC Radio Scotland Outdoors program on Munro bagging, hill running, motivation and of course the newPocket Mountains 'Classic Hill Runs and Races in Scotland' book. To be aired early Saturday am, or slightly later on Sunday morning. I'll probably not hear it as I'll be lost in the Argyll Hills on Saturday and racing up Ben Lora on the Sunday. Hope I don't babble on too much ! Details of the program here : BBC Scotland Outdoors, details of the race here : Beinn Lora Race

Monamenach and Ben Tirran, Nov'09

2009-11-22T22:34:00.003Z

The best weather in the country was up in the north-east today, so having a quick look at the maps, Monamenach near Glenshee and Ben Tirran above Glen Clova were chosen - both fairly close, accessible and not been done by me before. Monamenach runs Meall nan Subh (above Glen Lochay) close as the easiest munro to ascend - the route starts at the 360m contour and only takes half an hour up and down on an obvious track. Ben Tirran on the other hand took twice as long - not such an obvious route, more ascent and the weather closed in horribly. Just look at how flooded Glen Clova was !

Druim Fhada chase and Garbh Bheinn, Nov'09

2009-11-17T22:29:00.002Z

Last year I tried my hand at the Druim Fhada chase, hated it and ended up in the Belford Memorial Hospital getting stitches. Thought I'd never come back, but decided to put to bed the demons of last year by having a go again. I knew what to expect this time, and didn't put a huge amount of effort in and ended up really enjoyed the race. Great views to Ben Nevis while running along the track. There were 5 of us jostling positions - Bruce Poll, John Coyle, Peter Ward Gary Barnett and myself for most of the way around the course. I had a sprint with Peter Ward for the last 100m to the finish - we pushed hard, but Peter beat me, then promptly fell on his knees and threw up - nice ! Youngster Robbie Simpson set a new record by taking over 2 minutes ouot of the previous one - well done to him.

As the race started at 11am and took me less that 50 minutes, we had time to bag a wee hill somewhere. I really enjoyed Meall na Gualainn last week, so opted for the Corbett Garbh Bheinn on the other side of Kinlochleven. Keith and I started out, the ground underfoot was soaking, slippy with hidden holes in the grass. Keith decided to chuck it in fairly quickly, as it was really unpleasant. We had a quick chat with a guy coming downhill, who assured us it got drier and easier further. He was right and I enjoyed a fine walk to the summit with it's interesting perspective on the Aonach Eagach ridge. Details of the route here .

Meall na Gualainn, Nov'09

2009-11-14T22:07:00.002Z

A fine corbett above Loch Leven and Kinlochleven, with amazing views for very little effort.

We'd been staying up at Roshven on the west coast, and on the way home I had enough time to run up this hill. It's an easy, straightforward, if wet route, to the summit. Having a fairly solitary position, the views east to Schiehallion, west to Ardgour and Beinn a'Bheithir and north to the Mamores are outstanding. Saw some guys on their scrambling motor-bikes as I was running fast downhill over the grass and through the dying ferns, returning to the road.

Tinto Hill Race, Nov'09

2009-11-13T11:03:00.003Z

This is a tough little race up and down the main drag on Tinto - a fine hill standing on its own above Biggar and the Clyde. This is one of those hill races you either love or loath and it's becoming one of the most popular races in the country. I arrived early so as to help with something - was given the task to help Nick put out the flags and markers for the junior course. Spent an hour or so wandering along a path and thru heather, rapidly running out of markers as we tried to find the correct route. Onto the main event - it was getting busy, turns out there was a record field of 298 runners. I was determined not to blast off from the start only to blow up after a few hundred metres. So I let quite a few folk pass me, then as the ascent steepened, gradually started to pull back a few places and settle in with a few well kent faces, including Des Crowe, Adam Ward and Andy Birnie. A couple of new Carnethy guys were putting in a good performance. Nearing the summit in mist, Prasad Prasad blasted downhill past, with Al Anthony not far behind. I counted the following runners going down and worked out I was around 20th. Downhill, great and into fast mode - overtook a few then got a stitch ! Argh, Des overtook me and Stuart Saunderson got me back after I had just overtaken him. My wee legs got me to the finish in 17th place, a minute up on last year, but still 2 minutes slower than my fastest time. Results, photos and more here. Race home page on Carnethy.

Meall a'Bhuachaille Hill Race, Oct'09

2009-11-01T20:21:00.003Z

New route for 2009

I thought I'd got the revised route correct for the new book, but just as well we headed up to Glenmore and gave the route the once over - it had changed again. From Badaguish, it now heads up a track to some of the thickest heather on a hill race. We aimed up to the summit and hung around to take some photos of the runners. When they approached, they looked tired - the heather had done its work ! After all my team-mates had passed, we headed down the tourist path to Ryovan Bothy, reaching it just in time before an awful rain shower hit. Photos on my Flickr page

Beinn Chruin, Oct'09

2009-11-01T19:42:00.002Z

An Teallach and Fisherfield was the intention for the weekend, but for various reasons, including the awful forecast, saw me heading to Tyndrum instead. Instead of parking at popular car-park Dalrigh a couple of km east of Tyndrum, I tried the Lower Railway Station. Much quieter with a sheltered run through forest to gain the track leading to Cononish. Through a couple of gates and up into mist, nothing to see. With the rain pulling in and the wind getting up, I gave up on the possibility of continuing to the Ben Lui Munro group. Details of the route are here : Lui Munros page

FRA Relays, Ennerdale, Oct'09

2009-10-21T23:09:00.002+01:00

Running for Carnethy, Bruce Smith and I took over from Mark James and Paul Ritchie, who’d had an incredible run making up lots of places. We were put on leg 3 - the navigation leg, and just to ensure we’d be challenged, the weather threw a thick veil of wet mist onto the West Cumbrian hills. Fortunately, navigation ain't too bad as the fairly featureless terrain is crossed by lines of fences. Bruce and I were overtaking quite a few folk, but local runners found faster lines and we’d meet them up time and time again. Half an hour into the race, two other Carnethy vests pulled up beside us – Jon Ascoft and Andy Fallas were pulling out all the stops. In a large group lost in the mist, many of us stopped, heads down to the maps with hands stretched out, compasses pointing hopefully the way ahead into the grey ether. We’d all overshot and had to return, losing a good few minutes. Bruce noticed runners on a path above, so we climbed onto it and we managed to pull back on our Carnethy mates. Bruce’s downhill running is quite something, but his flat running is also pretty good and I had trouble keeping with him on the last sprint back to the event. Hopefully we managed to pull even more places back before we handed over to Adam for the last leg. We were 23th in our leg - made up 65 places - more results on Sportident (pdf). Some video clips on YouTube and more on the Carnethy site .

Helvellyn, Oct'09

2009-10-20T22:41:00.003+01:00

Superb weather taking a quiet path up to a busy summit
We were heading down to the west Cumbrian Hills near Ennerdale for the FRA team relay event. So on the way, a fine opportunity to head up Helvellyn - the third highest hill in England. Not up Striding or Swirral Edge this time, but from the quieter path to the south-west. Fine views from the busy summit. Hill walkers, fell-runners, paragliders and mountain-bikers all taking advantage of the fine weather - much hotter than you'd expect in mid October ! Some photos on the Flickr page.

Pentland Skyline, Oct'09

2009-10-19T21:21:00.002+01:00

Very windy !
I'd not been training thoroughly enough, so different tactic this year - walk on the uphills, so there's enough energy left for running the latter part of the route. It seemed to work, cause although the strong wind slowed us all down on the way south, I finished up one place higher than last year. I did find the last few hills very tiring, but managed to keep going. Race was won by Oleg Cheplin in an incredible 2hr and 25mins. More info and results here and more photos on SHR Flickr .

Hodgson Relay, The Lakes, Oct'09

2009-10-09T22:55:00.002+01:00

The Lake District is much closer to home than the north of Scotland, less than 2 hours away by Bob our driver. Carnethy put a team of 8 runners together to race in this famed event. I was running with a very hyper Andy Spenceley - we're well matched and we made up 2 places on our leg by passing 3 teams and being passed by one team. Andy later worked it our we were only a couple of minutes out of the Vets record for our leg ! One part of the route was a real trudge along 'High Street' - a flat grass covered plateau that seemed to go on for ages. But the descent was quite enjoyable and the weather stayed clear for most of the day. A fine sociable way to spend a Sunday.

Ben Venue Hill Race, Oct'09

2009-10-07T23:46:00.002+01:00

Wind gets the better of us !
Bellahouston Road Runners organised and put on this race. It was the first time run, but the weather decided to play a part. As we were waiting for the start, organiser Andy Birnie was called by the Mountain Rescue guys on the summit, who warn him that the wind on the summit was so powerful, that they couldn't stand up. So, change of plans, we would run through the forest and up to the col and back. The hill race became more of a trail race. Still ended up being quite enjoyable and I won a big bar of fruit-and-nut - now scoffed ! The photo is of Fiona Maxwell coming in first lady. Photos to follow.

Cuillin, Sep'09

2009-10-04T22:14:00.002+01:00

Attempt at last munro (again)
Fine weather forecast for Wednesday. So a quick drive up to Skye with Jon on Tuesday night. Wednesday, saw the cloud cling onto the ridge, but we aimed out up Coire Lagan and up the An Stac screes onto the crest. The rock was just a bit greasy as we clambered along to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich. We managed to get within around 50metres of the summit and I could go no further. I just felt my feet not grip 100% on the wet rock, so decided to chicken out. Jon, an experienced rock and ice-climber, got to the summit (see photo). We returned to the top of the screes, trudged up Sgurr Dearg into thickening cloud. Already a queue had formed to climb up the In-Pinn, so we gave it a pass and instead carried on northwards up Sgurr na Banachdich, Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh to Sgurr a'Mhadaidh. No problems along this at all, even though the cloud just sulked on the black rock. So still 2 munros to go on the 14th round. Perhaps next week ? Photos on my Flickr page.

Cairngorm 4000ers, Sep'09

2009-09-28T18:42:00.002+01:00

There was one route in the Pocket Mountains book I'm writing that I needed to go back check, so I headed up to the Cairngorms early on Sunday morning. Weather was fine, summits clear and a slight breeze upon arrival. I ran from Glenmore Lodge up the new Allt Mor path to the ski centre, then on up to Cairngorm. Cloud was starting to drift in. Over to Braeraich and the breeze had now become a wind and cloud clung lower. The few walkers that were around were well kitted out in gortex and overtrousers and some of them gave me funny looks with my bare legs, and hill-running gear on. A huge drop down boulders, scree then heather took me down to the Lairig Ghru. Looking up from the glen floor, I debated which route to take up to Cairn Toul and opted to head to the right of the crags and cliffs. Upon reaching Cairn Toul's crest the wind had turned gale-force and it became difficult to walk westwards, let alone try to run. I persisted over Sgor an Lochain Uaine and around to Braeraich, the wind funnelling over the plateau and down through any gaps it could find. Further down on Sron an Lairige I had stopped to check the map, then a violent gust blew me over, sending me tumbling over granite boulders. With a bloody knee and hand, I cursed and shouted back at the wind, but it only seemed to provoke it more. Once back down to the Lairige Ghru, conditions were much more pleasant and I enjoyed a jog back to Glenmore, perhaps limping just a little. (Photo was taken on a better day !)

Two Breweries Hill Race, Sep'09

2009-09-26T23:13:00.004+01:00

Not a favourite race of mine, but lots of hill runners really enjoy this one. With being short on photos for the Pocket Mountains book, we headed out to Traquair to take some. Perfect conditions as 109 runners lined up infront of the castle. They blasted off along the avenue of trees past us and I admit, part of me really wanted to join in. After they left, we drove down to Glenrath farm and waited for the runners to appear. Scott Fraser had a lead of around 5 minutes on a group of three others, who inturn had a lead of a couple of minutes on Stewart Whitlie. After the first 20 runners passed us we headed to Broughton from where we walked up Trahena Hill. Lovely views over the Southern Uplands, but it was bracing in the wind on the summit. Photos on the Flickr page and results on SHR website.

Merrick Hill Race, Sep'09

2009-09-26T22:54:00.003+01:00

After our relaxing holiday in Wales, it was time to get back into a bit of hill-running. With running over Merrick and Shalloch on Minnoch a couple of months ago, I wondered if the race would live up to the same standard of day out ? Well, yes and no ! The race is tough and mainly off-path - due to the land owners SNH insisting that we avoid running on certain ground due to the possible presence of rare plants. Weird, cause we were told to aviod the main path and not go to close to the trig-point, yet with only 37 runners in the race, the hill walkers using the main path and touching the trig point, out numbered us many times over !!!!! Perfect conditions saw Steven Winter and I leading from the outset up through the ferns onto the rough crests. I reached Merrick just before Steven, however, after the descent of the hill and onto the next climb, I bonked with only another 20 minutes or so left. Adam Anderson who'd gradually been reeling Steven and I in, overtook and descended first down to the road. There's one last steep little nasty pull up to the finish, which I decided I had to walk up. So, I'll need to get out training a bit more ! Well done to the organisers for putting on such a great race. Results are on the SHR website .

Hillwalking and more in Snowdonia, Sep'09

2009-09-20T08:53:00.003+01:00

With the writing of the Pocket Mountain's book finished and handed in, we took a week off to chill out and hill-walk. We intended to have a few days in Wales, then head down to Devon, however weather was excellent, so we remained in Wales for the week exploring Snowdonia and to the north and west. We tried to do the classic Snowdon horseshoe traverse, but made the mistake of heading out on Saturday - soooo busy. We couldn't park anywhere, so drove west and aimed up on the Watkin path instead. This is a lovely route following waterfalls into a coire, then an obvious path up to Bwlch y Saethau then to the summit with its new station and thousands of folk. I'd never seen crowds on a summit the likes of this before. We took the south ridge off - much quieter.

Sunday was spent in the forests around Betws-y-Coed and we found a beautiful lochan with a view onto Moel Siabod. I had to have a wander up this, so after visiting castles and beaches the next day, I enjoyed a quick run up this hill. Between the clouds flowing over the crest, I managed to get some glimpses of the views onto Snowdon and Tryfan, but nothing worth photographing. Probably the most exciting this we did was the Tree Top Adventure course just outside Betws-y-Coed - quite scary and challenging. It will hopefully have built my confidence up for heading up to the In-Pinn shortly ! Some photos on the Flickr page.

Ben Nevis Hillrace, 5 Sep 09

2009-09-17T16:09:00.002+01:00

We met up with Bob and Nics to pose a photo for the Aonach Mor uphill race in the Pocket Mountains book. Weather was wet, overcast and low cloud, so even if I'd managed an in-focus photo, it still would be pretty crap. Fortunately I stumbled across Team Cruachan and Philip agreed to allow his photo (that's it on left) to be used in the book - yahoo! - book photos now complete. Onto the race - pretty wet and low cloud persisted all morning and to the start of the race. Folk were deciding whether on not to run in an extra layer - a quick warm up confirmed long sleeves required ! The race was quite tough, ground was a bit slippy, particularly on the downhill. Some folk were taking extra care on the descent, including myself, but I still managed to pass a few. Will Manners (on his first Ben Race) and myself exchanged places a few times, with Will getting the better of me just before the line. I felt I did pretty well (1hr and 50mins), and only 4 minutes slower than last year, which was better than I thought given the conditions. Bob managed just over 2hr on his first time. Results are on the Ben Nevis Hill Race website.

Ben Shean, 2 Sept'09

2009-09-08T22:38:00.003+01:00

It's interesting to walk or run up a hill that you normally only do in a hill-race !
This was the case today with Ben Sheann - the fine little hill above Strathyre. I was lucky with the weather - a sunny break for an hour or so between squally showers. Forestry operations were discouraging people from walking uphill - there were several trees creaking as I made my way up the mucky path. Once out of the forest, the hill has some lovely views from its crest down along Loch Lubnaig and over to Stuc a'Chroin. Found another descent route from the summit back to the forest.

Fannaichs, 22 Aug'09

2009-08-23T11:41:00.001+01:00

Stewart get's his 200th munro
Was thinking about checking the route for the Cairngorm 4000ers, but Stewart fancied getting his 200th munro, and I needed no persuading to head up to the Fannaichs instead and run over the 9 munros. Weather looked awful when we drove up the private road to Fannich Lodge, but as we cycled along the lochside, the cloud began to gradually lift. A'Chailleach's summit sulked in mist, but thereafter we ran along the crests in clear conditions and enjoyed a superb day out, meeting and blethering with quite a few folk, including several locals and one guy (Ross McEwan) who recognised me from the website. I was flattered that he'd marked this website as one of his favourites ! As you can see from the photo, Stewart was pretty chuffed getting his 200th munro tick on Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich. More photos on the Flickr site .

Strathconon Corbetts and Meall Fuar-monaidh, 15 Aug'09

2009-08-16T19:09:00.002+01:00

Headed up to Strathconon for a run up Sgurr a'Mhuilinn and Meallan nan Uan. An enjoyable route, without paths. Good views too and really easy. Right in the heart of deer-stalking country, but signs welcomed hill-walkers. After that, headed for a run up Meall Fuar-monaidh - the distinctive bump above Loch Ness on the western side. Well trodden path all the way.

Caerketton Hill Race, Aug'09

2009-08-16T11:42:00.002+01:00

The last race in this year's Bog-and-Burn series. A strong headwind ensured times were down a bit. 85 runners turned up for this mad dash up and down the wee hill behind Hillend ski-slope. Al Anthony won it for the 4th year running, but with Murray Strain taking 2nd place, the series title was his. Slightly slower than last year, I came 4th and therefore enough to be top V40 in the series, and brought home a couple of bottles of wine ! Results and more here and Bog-and-Burn series results here .

Last munro on 14th round ? 8 Aug'09

2009-08-12T23:45:00.003+01:00

Return from North Uist, the weather gave hints that blue skies might appear and I'd be permitted to bag my last munros on the 14th round, all on the Cuillin Ridge. Nope, it wasn't to be ! So thoughts turned to the South Glen Shiel Ridge, but with the nose-to-tail holiday traffic cruising at 40mph, I turned off the main road and made my way to Glenelg Ferry. Beinn Sgritheall was being aimed for instead. I ran up and down it in 1hr 35mins, equalling my best previous time back in 2001, but today was in mist down to around 650m and a wind on the summit crest. I'll get these Cuillin peaks yet !

Clisham, Harris and Ben Lee hill race, 4 Aug'09

2009-08-09T22:56:00.004+01:00

We spent some time on Harris and Lewis - Clisham was excellent, Callanish Stones were interesting, north of Storonway was disappointing and scruffy, but the beach at Tolsta was beautiful with superb views to the mainland taking in Suilven, Foinaven, Quinag and Assynt. After returning home, I felt that although I'd ran around the Ben Lee race route on the previous Friday, it was cheating to put in the Pocket Mountains book as I hadn't done the race proper. So I returned to North Uist, this time by bike - it's so cheap to come by ferry, only £9.80 return ! On the race I made a boo-boo - I couldn't see the flags for the setting sun, so just aimed for the mast. Bad move, that was around 300m down the road from the checkpoint, I had to run back up the road, probably costing me a minute or so. Still, managed to win, but only just. An interesting and tough race, you can just to walk it if you like - setting off 30 minutes earlier. Some photos on Flickr page.

Ben Kenneth Hill Race, S Uist, 2 Aug'09

2009-08-06T17:20:00.002+01:00

We were on Uist, and wanted to try the Ben Kenneth Hill Race. After spending sometime on the Machair and the beaches, I went for a recci of the route. All I knew was that the race went from the hotel in Lochboisdale to Ben Kenneth and back - you could choose any route you liked ! The quickest times were recorded when runners swam over a channel - through seaweed ! Well I deliberated and thought about just going and taking photos. But a superb evening persuaded me to run, and seeing the list there were folk from everywhere - Cambridge, Dublin and of course many locals. I've never seen such quick running from the start (which was by shotgun) - two local guys really belted off and we followed them up the main street, over the causeway, and to the narrow channel. Nothing for it, just get in - it was horrible - seaweed tying your legs and a current attempting to pull you towards the sea. Tom Smith from Lochaber was just infront of me, then he was nowhere to be seen - he wimped out on the swim and ran upstream to wade over by a pipe. Through more seaweed and onto dry land, we headed up through heather and I gradually reeled in the other runners and was in the lead by the time we reached the first marshall. From there on I was on my own. About turn on the summit, back down and over the channel again, then a run back along Lochboisdale main street with hundreds of spectators, all cheering and sounding their car-horns. I'd won ! 2nd and 3rd place were taken by local runners. Tom had worked his way back up to second place by the time he'd reached the channel again, but wimped out of the swim once more, costing him 6 places. A great little tough hill race with really friendly atmosphere and a souvenir and certificate for every runner. More photos on my Flickr page and more info on the Ben Kenneth website.

North Uist, 31 Jul'09

2009-08-06T09:39:00.003+01:00

Start of a week's holiday on the Outer Hebrides. With the intention of doing some research for the Pocket Mountains book, so some hillwalking and running combined with beach walks and sightseeing. The Ben Lee race date hadn't been confirmed to Scottish Hillrunners by the time we left Skye. When we arrived in Lochmaddy, we found out the date was 7th Aug and not 31 Jul ! But the organiser, Norman MacLeod, was very helpful and talked me through the route, which I ran over the next day. Berneray was lovely - the photo is the sunrise from the camping site next to the hostel.

Killin Highland Games Hill Race, 29 Jul'09

2009-08-05T22:23:00.002+01:00

Sponsored by the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum and the Outdoor Shop in Killin, this short blast up Sron a'Chlachain has prizes for everyone, including an "endless-coffee" mug. Colin Donnelly won with Tom Smith a couple of seconds adrift after he nearly caught him on the descent. I was third, slightly disappointed in my time - my uphill climbing just wasn't quite there ! Photos by Chris Upson on SHR Flickr page.

Ben Rinnes Hill Race, 26 Jul'09

2009-08-04T13:05:00.002+01:00

Sometimes it's more enjoyable to go for a hill run, rather than race and knock your pan in.
A group of us headed up to Dufftown to take part in the Highland Games Hill Race up Ben Rinnes, but to the suprise of my companions, I decided to head off 45 minutes early and run the race-route. This allowed me to take in the scenery, blether to folk and photograph the race. Excellent views north over the Moray Firth. Ben Rinnes has seen some pathwork recently, in particular replacing a wide worn path with a narrow zig-zag. But this didn't stop Andy Symonds from setting a new course record. More on the SHR site here. Photos on the Flickr page here.