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r~~i
s
THE SCOTTISH
MOUNTAINEERING CLUB JOURNAL
A
the scottish
Mountaineering Club
Journal.
WILLIAM DOUGLAS.
K
EDINBURGH:
THE SCOTTISH MOUNTAINEERING CLUB.
1905.
PRINTED BY THE DARIEN PRESS, BDINBURiIH ;
AND SOLD BY
DOUGLAS & FOULIS, EDINBURGH ;
TAMES MACLEHOSE & SONS, GLASGOW ;
D. WYLLIE & SONS, ABERDEEN.
»••••
»
CONTENTS.
-•♦^
fAGE
A Purely Climbing Ideal. By J. H. Bell - . . i
The Cliffs of Corrie Arder. By Harold Raebum - - 4
Arran. By F, S. Goggs ----- 12
Ben Lui Revisited. By W, Douglas - - - - 95
Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour. By IV, Inglis Clark - - 139
Three on the Centre Grid of the Trident Buttress. By /.
Inglis Clark ------ 149
The Rose Ridge on Sgoran Dubh. By W, A, Morrison - 152
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis. By W, R, Rickmers - - 157
Random Musings. By Stair A. Gillon - - 187
The Cairngorms from Deeside. By James Maclay - - 192
In the North- West Highlands in February. By Stair A, Gillon 229
Stuchd an Lochain and the Upper Part of Glen Lyon. By
F. S. Goggs ----.. 235
Scottish Snow. By Harold Raebum - - - - 285
Only a Beautiful Day on the Hills. By A, Ernest May lard - 299
The Crowberry Ridge of Buchaille Etive Mor. By James
Maclay ------- 304
The Mystery of Crois. By W, Inglis Clark - - - 309
A Bit of the Berwickshire Coast and its Birds. By W, Douglas 313
S.M.C. Guide Book :—
Eastern Cairngorms - - - 4^
The Lochnagar Group .... - 49
The Braes of Angus .... - 124
Mount Blair - - - - - 166
The Caimwell - - - - 167
Beinn a' Ghlo - - - - - 172
Ben Vrackie --.... 173
Beinn Dearg and Cam a' Chlamain - - 174
An Sgarsoch and Cam an Fhidleir - - 176
Gaick Forest - - - - 177
Sron a Choire Ghairbh - '97
Gulvain ....... 198
The Streaps - 199
vi. Contents.
S.M.C. Guide Boon— continued.
Sgor Choileam . . - .
The Sgor na Ciche Group -
Meall Bhuide and Luinne Bheinn -
Ladhar Beinn ....
Ben Sgroil -----
The Saddle and Sgurr na Sgine -
Sgurr a' Mhaoraich
Gleourach and Spidean Mialach -
Clunie Forest - . . .
Sgurr Fhuaran - - - -
Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg -
The A' Chralaig Group
A* Gblas Bheinn - . . .
Beinn Fhada - - - -
Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan -
Mam Sodhail . . . .
•Sgurr na Lapaich - - - -
Sgurr a' Choir Ghlais
Maoile Lunndaidh - - - -
Bidean an Eoin Deirg
Lurg Mhor - - - - -
Moruisg - . - _ .
Sgurr a* Mhuilinn - - - -
Illustrations :—
Corrie Arder . _ . -
Brodick - - . - -
Glen Sannox . . . -
Map of Arran - - . _
Cir Mhor and Ceum na Caillich
Lochnagar - - - - -
The ClifTs of Lochnagar
Ben Lui . - - - -
Ben Cruachan from top of Ben Lui
Aviemore, Easter 1904 - - -
Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour - - -
The Glencoe Mountains - - .
N.E. Ridge of Aonach Beag
Below the Cornices of Aonach Beag
The Ben Nevis Group from Corpach
The " Trident " of Cam Dearg, Ben Nevis
Skiing — On the Practice Ground -
" How not to do it "
A Long Spoor - - -
The Alpine Ski - - - -
The Head of Loch Nevis -
PAGB
-
200
-
202
-
205
»
206
-
209
-
258
-
260
-
261
-
262
.
266
-
268
-
270
-
273
-
273
-
275
-
277
-
279
-
320
-
322
-
323
-
324
-
325
•
326
To face
4
j>
12
-
16
Between i
8,19
To face
30
»
50
»
64
>i
95
»
96
n
no
j>
139
j»
140
1)
142
»>
144
>»
148
»
150
n
158
ji
160
>»
162
j>
164
jj
187
Contents.
Vll
I LLUSTRATIONS — continued.
The Rose Ridge from Second Bothy
The East End of Loch Morar - . .
Beinn Fhada ClifTs from Meall a' Bhealaich
Loch Quoich looking West to S^^rr a' Mhaoraich
Hills North of Cluaine Inn
Cluaine Forest Hills - - . .
^ Sgurr Ouran and Loch Duich
A' Chralaig from West End of Loch AfTric
Mullach Fraoch Choire from Glen AfTric -
Ben Attow from Altbeath in Glen Affric -
Glissading ------
Scottish Snow - . . _ -
Sgurr Alasdair from Sgurr Dubh -
Crowberry Ridge - -
Namain from Crois . . - -
The Pinnacle of Crois - - - .
The Monar Hills from the East -
PAGE
To face 196
202
229
260
262
264
266
270
272
274
292
296
300
305
To face 310
» 312
321
19
W
Mountaineering Notes :—
Arran - - - -
Ben Bhuidhe and Beinn nan Aighean
Ben Chonzie on Ski
Ben Lomond ...
Ben Nevis - - - -
Cam Dearg
N.E. Buttress -
„ in August
Ben Starav - - - -
Beuchaille Etive Mor
Braeriach - - - -
Cairngorms - - - -
Cir Mhor and the Sannox Ridges -
Clach Glas - - - -
Fairy Knoll, Loch Fyne
Glencoe . . - .
Glen Finnan and Loch Aylort Hills
Kingshouse Hotel, Glencoe
Meall Bhuiridh
Nails for Climbing Boots -
Ordnance Survey Map of Skye
Parr, Robert Kerr -
S.M.C. abroad in 1903
S.M.C. abroad in 1904
Sgurr nan Gillean -
Sgurr Ruadh and Coire Lair
Skiing . - - .
■ 82,87
282
133
87
- 86, 219
179
180
220
330
87
332
182
184
328
329
86
134
136
283
283
137
- 185
79
216
84
221
185, 223
viii Contents.
Mountaineering ^oivs—contiftued.
SHgachan Inn - - - - - - 136
Sligachan Climbers' Book - > . . . 137
Sron Creiie - - - - - - 181
Yorkshire Ramblers' Club ..... 137
Reviews and Notices :—
Stutfield and Collie's Climbs and Exploration in the
Canadian Rockies ..... 92
Slingsby's Norway, the Northern Playground - - 92
Geikie's Geology of North Arran, &c. - * - 92
Baker's Moors, Crags, and Caves of the High Peak - 92
Marker's Tertiary Igneous Rocks of Skye - - 224
Smith's Pentland Hills, Their Paths and Passes - - 226
Kilgour's Twenty Years on Ben Nevis - - - 333
Corrkspondenck :—
Life Membership Subscription - - - 88, 138, 332
Proceedings of the Club :—
Fifteenth Annual General Meeting and Dinner - - 73
S.M.C. Library and Club Room « - 75, 121, 213, 255
Lantern Slide Collection . . . . . yz
New Year Meet at Fort-William, 1904 - - - 100
Easter Meet at Aviemore, 1904 - - - - no
Sixteenth Annual General Meeting and Dinner - - 210
New Year Meet at Loch Awe, 1905 - - - 249
Easter Meet at Sligachan, 1905 - > > - 251
Easter Meet at Kingshouse, 1905 . - . - 252
THE SCOTTISH
jttnuntaf^i^tring Clulr Jottmal
Vol. VIII. January 1904. No. 43.
A PURELY CLIMBING IDEAL.
By J. H. Bell.
It is well known to all members of our Club, that we
are divided into two camps and ranked under two banners —
Salvationist and Ultramontane. For a time, and especially
at dinner, as Dr Almond observed, it might have been
thought that the Ultramontane was the predominant
partner, but of late the warlike spirit of the Salvation
Army has been aroused. Many and furious have been the
assaults on the Ultramontane position. " Endless dis-
section of the unhappy points of the compass," " O.H.," and
such phrases, have become part of the conversational stock-
in-trade of the Club, so that now it takes some audacity to
own oneself, in spirit at least, an Ultramontane, and to
write in our Journal from the purely climbing point of
view. These remarks do not introduce an account of any
peculiarly hazardous or " overhanging " bit of climbing, but
only an attempt to explain what, in the writer's opinion,
gives the keenest of climbing pleasures.
Mummery, the leader and spokesman of all the Ultra-
montane clan, has repudiated the suggestion, that because
a man enjoys climbing for its own sake, he must be dull to
the more subtle pleasures that the mountains have to offer,
and he has shown by his own eloquent words how certainly
both were combined in himself. One point may be ad-
mitted, that the keenest aesthetic and climbing pleasures do
XLIII. A
2 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
not run absolutely together in point of time. When a man
needs all the mountain knowledge that he has, and all his
skill and muscle to take him up the next few feet, he is not
likely at that moment to pay much attention, even although
the sun may be setting in a flood of red and gold over the
sea within his view. If at the last hole in a game of golf
a man is putting for a half, he won't at that moment think
of the ever-changing sounds and sights of the sea, or of the
cloud-shadow that may then be moving across the hill on the
opposite side of the loch. Yet who ever heard it advanced
that when he goes out on the links he should make sure of
a less absorbing occupation, or his aesthetic nature will be
stunted. The great charm of mountaineering is that its
appeal is so various. There is an opportunity for purely
athletic pleasure, and even for the enjoyment of such dull
things as topography or mathematics, alongside of the
highest emotional and intellectual feelings of which a man
is capable. The struggle with the rocks, or the snow down
below, is the best of all introductions to the half-hour by
the cairn. The man who has come over the Dubh peaks
and the " Gap," is at least as likely to fully enjoy a bask in
that heaven of the climber, the moss-covered top of Sgurr
Alasdair, as he who has injured his temper and his shins
by toiling up the Stone Shoot
Well, after all, what are the points to be sought for in
our ideal climb? In my opinion, chiefly four. It should
be new, it should be continuous, it should be difficult, and
yet once started it should be the easiest available.
Difficulty is always relative, and it matters very little what
its absolute standard may be — what does matter is that it
should be difficult for the climber. Some of my friends
might find my favourite climb by no means difficult for
them, that doesn't matter — for me, it is quite as difficult
as I want. With respect to novelty, too, though the
entirely new climb has its own special charrf), it detracts
very little that others have done a climb before, provided
that one doesn't know exactly where and how they did it.
The problem set in the form, " There is your mountain,
climb it," is a far more fascinating one than that .in the
form, " There is a climb which has been done, go thou and
A Purely Climbing Ideal. 3
do likewise." Probably all will agree that our ideal climb
must be continuous. By this I do not mean that it must
be without break one continuous wrestle, but that once
started it must be carried through or else the goal aban-
doned and a retreat made. If one can at any moment
dodge the difficulties and walk off to the right or to the
left, it may be very enjoyable and everything else may
be there, but we are not really climbing, only bouldering
on the mountains.
Again, our way should be the easiest that we can find.
It is in finding the easiest way that the mental stimulus
and interest of climbing lies, and the wider the problem
the better the climb. In its highest form we should have
a whole mountain before us and know of no easy way.
As we all know, there is no such mountain in Scotland
(except under bad weather conditions), but while this is so,
there are many climbs on which if a man is once started,
he may spend many hours in the attempt to find the
easiest way to the top.
Many and glorious and very near the ideal are the
climbs which are to be found in Scotland. I have said in
what lies for me the charm of climbing considered in one of
its aspects. It is, of course, only one. How much might
be said of the purely physical joy of living among the
mountains, of walking on the springy turf and the heather,
and of feeling under one's hobnails the crackle of frozen
snow or the crunch of the rocks, — or again, the glorious
sensation of the cold swift-rushing wind in a glissade.
Through all. and over all, lie the higher thoughts
prompted by so intimate a contact with nature, which,
not being gifted with the literary faculty, I must not
attempt to declare, yet once more protesting, that he who
climbs for climbing's sake and is unfortunately dumb on
higher matters, is not therefore insensible to the higher
appeal.
•'I
•I.
i! •
I I
I
I
! 4 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
THE CLIFFS OF CORRIE ARDER.
'. By Harold Raeburn.
I CORRIE Arder, as every one, even in the S.M.C., possibly
'. does not know, is the great north-east corrie of that huge
J mountain mass called Creag Meaghaidh, which heaves
itself up along the north side of Loch Laggan, to a height
of 3,700 feet.
1 Formless and dull as a whole, Creag Meaghaidh yet
greatly exceeds Ben Nevis in bulk, although 700 feet
lower. I believe our authority on tops calculates that one
may take a seven-mile walk along the summit ridge with-
out once descending below the 3,000 foot contour. Despite
its bulk, Creag Meaghaidh cannot be ranked with Ben
Nevis from a climbing point of view. It possesses, how-
ever, in the i ,200 feet rock of the Pinnacle of Corrie Arder,
I ' a cliff whose steepness is equalled by nothing on our
highest Ben, and a face with gullies and buttresses well
worthy of the climber's attention. There is, no doubt, some
good scrambling to be obtained in others of the corries of
this extensive range, but Corrie Arder is its outstanding
feature, and it was to its exploration exclusively that
the energies of the expedition whose doings are herein
chronicled were directed.
The Rev. A. E. Robertson, in an article entitled " The
Creag Meaghaidh Range," S,M,C, Journal, Vol. III., p. 23,
was the first of our members to draw attention to the
corrie. Our Sassenach authority on Gaelic spelling and
pronunciation, seized upon the name in its original form to
i complete a couplet in his ingenious and educative poem on
the mysteries of Gaelic orthography —
" If he's long in the leagaidh,
May tackle Creag Meagaidh ;
ii Or, task that is hardhoire,
The * posts * of Corr 'Ard Dhoire ; "
but I do not think that he himself had ever viewed the
cliffs save in poetic thought, or scanned their feet, save in
metre. Over seven years ago — to be exact, in April 1896 —
a party of three members of the S.M.C. were defeated in
S '
!!i
.
CORRIK ARDER.
The Cliffs of Corrie Arder, 5
an attempt to ascend the central " post " of Corrie Arder.
Literally pelted out of the gully by the preliminary trickle
of the breaking cornices, which later developed into the
rush and roar of real avalanches, weighing hundreds of tons,
they contented themselves by the ascent of the Pinnacle
up the easy north edge. On the apex of the Pinnacle they
built the usual cairn, and retreated, perhaps not without
hope of returning to conquer one of the posts or their
dividing buttresses. A full account of this party's doings
will be found in the article in Vol. IV., p. 141, "Corrie
Arder," by Wm. Tough. Since then, no further attack on
the cliffs has been recorded till now, and it is the purpose
of the present account to relate how another party fared
there, and how they fared in their task of attacking the
cliffs of Corrie Arder.
The party consisted of three members, Harry Walker,
C. W. Walker, and the writer — again all Easterlings !
Loch Laggan Hotel was again selected as headquarters.
Tough's party in April had walked over the hills by the
short cut from Dalwhinnie. As we should be in darkness
from the start at this time of year, we resolved to bring
cycles, and to take the hill road which crosses the water-
shed to the north of Dalwhinnie, and descends past Loch
Coultree to Laggan Bridge, where it joins the main road
between Spean Bridge and Kingussie.
The evening of the 30th October, as we alighted at
Dalwhinnie Station, was mild and dark ; fortunately, the
almost constant deluge of rain, which had been falling for
weeks past, had for the time ceased. It was 7 P.M. by
the time we had got our various packages fixed by
"diamond" or other hitch on our patient and uncom-
plaining, because well-oiled "beasties," and mounted for
the fifteen-mile ride to Laggan Hotel.
A short push took us up to the summit, and here we
found the road, somewhat to our surprise, in splendid condi-
tion, as smooth almost as asphalt.
There is a great charm in this kind of cycling, in the
dark on an unknown but good road, which appeals to the
exploring instinct latent in most people, but strongly
developed in the mountaineer. Every sense is keenly on
6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
the alert, sight and hearing appear to become abnormally
acute. The eye ranges the contours of the hills, faintly
silhouetted against the lesser darkness of the sky, in the
endeavour to recognise some familiar outline. Back again
to the road in front, in the attempt to pierce the darkness
ahead of the small swiftly shifting patch of light formed by
the rays of the lamp. The sudden cry of a plover, rising
from the slopes below, shatters the outer silence of the
night with almost painful loudness. The murmur of a
distant fall is now heard, now lost, as we sweep round the
hollows and over the shoulders of the moor. The whisper
of the night breeze through the heath and sedge is scarcely
audible above the soft rush of the wheels on the smooth
damp sand, and the clicking " purr " of the ratchet as the
leader " frees." Thus swiftly the hill outlines climbed the
sky around us as we slid down to Laggan Bridge. But
thereafter? If the first seven miles was the poetry of
cycling, this was the ruggedest of prose. It was a night-
mare of a ride, the road was of the worst, sticky slime and
huge ruts. We slid, and skidded, and squelched, and side-
slipped — hundreds of these — and sweated, and swotted,
and walked, and waded, and jerked, and joggled, and
vibrated, and fought, and muddied, and fell — the last five
times, fortunately without damage — on our way to Loch
Laggan Hotel. We did eventually get there by 9.15, and
found an excellent dinner awaiting us.
Next morning, 3 ist October, was cloudy and calm, on the
hills the mist lay at about 2,000 feet. It had been raining
during the night, but now a large patch of blue sky overhead,
on reaching which the clouds drifting up the loch before
the south-west air appeared to melt, gave promise of better
weather. At 8.30 we mounted cycles and ran down by the
loch side to Aberarder. Leaving our cycles at the farm at
nine, we kept up along the east bank of the stream to some
sheep fanks, then struck up the slopes of Carn Liath to our
right by a well-marked track. This mounts pretty steeply
straight up hill for several hundred feet, then turning to
the left and passing through a straggling birch wood, it
continues right up the glen at a gentle angle almost to the
Lochan of Corrie Arder. This was gained at eleven.
The Cliffs of Corrie Arder, 7
The mists had been gradually rising and now merely
touched the summits of the higher crags, and we had con-
sequently a fine view of this extensive rocky face. Stand-
ing at the foot of the lochan we have the whole range in
front. The most impressive piece of rock scenery is un-
doubtedly the " Pinnacle." The top of this appears to,
from some points of view, and does in reality, overhang.
The Pinnacle Cliff is bounded on the south-east by a long
gully of easy angle. On the far side of this the rocks,
though extensive, rapidly diminish in size. To the north
of the Pinnacle Cliff opens out a wide gully, almost a small
corrie high up, which serves to separate it from the main
mass, in which are situated the " Posts." Near the foot of
the gully lies the " Snow Bridge." A beautiful photo of
this by D. Cameron Swan, taken September 1 899, appeared
in Xhe Journal, Vol. VI., p. 22.
This year the " bridge " was a long snow tunnel through
a large mass of old hard snow. In fact, all the gullies of
any size held masses of old snow, testifying to the cold wet
summer of 1903. North again of the Snow Bridge gully
lies the main rock mass. This presents a steep but much
grass-grown face to north-east for about one-third of a mile,
with a height of about 1,400 feet. The rocks then bend
round to north-west, and rapidly diminish in height as the
floor of the little valley beneath rises to the scree and
boulder-filled pass called the " Window " leading over to
Glenroy. These central rocks are split into three main
buttresses by three straight parallel gullies called the
" Posts." The central of these Posts was the scene of the
defeat of '96. To-day, the long white line of foaming water
that marked the course of the gully's drainage over the
lower slabs, was liked by none of our party, so we resolved
to see what could be done with the Pinnacle face. As the
lowest 300 feet was obviously hopeless, the rocks every-
where overhanging, we resolved to try to traverse out of
the sloping gully on the south, on to one or other of the
curious horizontal grassy ledges that cross the face above.
Crossing the stream issuing from the lochan, we made for
the foot of the cliff. The loch shore is here composed of
large scree, mostly overgrown with turf and moss. Towards
i The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the head lie some very large blocks of rock. One of these
must weigh several hundred tons. It is tilted on its edge,
Eind is accessible, if even then, by only one route. The
lieight of this stone is about 35 feet. The great square-
roofed recess in the cliff, from which it has evidently fallen
within a quite recent geological time, is visible directly
ibove.
Once in the Pinnacle south gully we made three separate
efforts to ascend the face without effect. The comfortable
^een ledge by which we got out of the gully would in-
i^ariably, after enticing us on a short distance, simply drop
DfT in a smooth and impassable gap, resuming its tantalising
course on the other side. These grass ledges were other-
wise unsatisfactory, as in no case was direct upward progress
possible ; the rock where not actually overhanging, was
composed of mossy holdless slabs.
In the end we were forced to climb the gully all the
way. This, though of easy angle, held numerous small
pitches which afforded the party plenty of opportunity of
exercising their agility in avoiding baptism by sprinkling,
or by total immersion, and necessitated the extraordinary
contortions and Colossus- 1 ike attitudes beloved of the
chimney climber.
At one sporting pitch, C. W. Walker, who led through-
out, excited the envy of his followers on their precarious
dirt slope below, by the ease and abandon of his reposeful
attitude on a sloping lovely green mossy slab, to which he
adhered by foot-pressure against the opposing wall. The
sudden appearance of a vigorous jet of water spouting from
the lowest knee of his knickers, soon convinced them how-
ever that the position was too absorbing for their taste.
Eventually we gained the summit over an incipient cornice.
We reached the summit of the Pinnacle from above as
in '96. We had seen an eagle sail aslant the face while in
the gully, and here on the Pinnacle was his lookout and
" Tower of Silence." Around were strewn the bones and
remains of the victims of this " Angel of Death." In 1896
these remains were mostly those of the Ptarmigan, but now
the Alpine hare had been the chief sufferer.
None of the party seemed particularly anxious to go
The Cliffs of Corrie Arder, 9
groping in the fog, which rolled in deep waves upon the
upper plateau of Creag Meaghaidh, for the cairn, so we left
for home. Skirting the edges of the cliffs to the north, and
passing the head of many a steep gully already heavily
corniced, we descended to the Window and to the lochan.
Thence by the track to Aberarder, and a rapid spin on
cycle took us to our snug headquarters just as darkness
closed in.
November i. — The first day of the week and of the
month, and a perfect morning. As I looked from my
window across the calm loch, a Heron glided down to the
shore. Folding her "sails," she waded into the shallow,
and there stood motionless, her shadow adding another
picture to those of the hills and trees and clouds already
mirrored on the surface of the water. The songs of our
three chief autumn singers — the Robin, the Wren, and
Hedge accentor — showed that they were rejoicing in the
calm and sun of this rare November day. Our ride this
morning to Corrie Arder was one to dwell in the memory
for years. Fresh pictures of beauty down the loch opened
up as we passed point after point, and the colouring of
these pictures! the grass, the bracken, the trees, every
shade of yellow and brown to dark red and flaming crimson,
was painted on the withered foliage. As we rode through
the birches, the long nearly level rays of the yet low sun lit
up their trunks and foliage till the one seemed silver and
the other gold, and both glowed with an almost metallic
radiance. No season save late autumn can show a colour-
ing half so rich and splendid.
Following the same route as yesterday, we reached the
lochan a little before twelve. We had made up our minds
to attack this time the central Post, and accordingly halted
at twelve to rope up by the side of the mass of hard snow
lying at the bottom of the face below the gully. Climbing
began almost at once on clean steep rock with splendid
holds.
The Posts are evidently formed by the more rapid
decay of trap dykes which cleave the mica schist rocks,
and low down this material weathers out into the usual
convenient step-and-stairs ledges from which the rock gets
lo The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
its name. Almost horizontal low down, these ledges
higher up do not present such ideal climbing conditions.
The ledges still exist, but they dip more and more into the
gully or to the north till the angle becomes too steep to
stand on without holding. For several hundred feet, how-
ever, the climbing was easy, though in places decidedly
steep.
The gully at first hardly exists as such. It is merely a
shallow scoop hollowed out in the face, down which rushes
the water collected in the chasm above. We stuck more
or less closely to this line till we arrived about half-way up
at the place where the gully goes more deeply into the
mountain. Here is a triple pitch above a large mass of old
hard snow. High above this opens out a great pot or
chasm, with overhanging walls apparently on all sides, from
which fell numberless streams of water. The whole air of
the place was filled with the drifting smoke of the shattered
spray. It was certainly a wonderful piece of rock scenery,
but — it was a fine day, all of us were still quite dry.
In short, we refused to face the inevitable soaking the
attempt to force a way up into the " Pot " would have
involved. We therefore sought and found a way out on to
the buttress wall on our left. The next part was difficult
and needed care. It involved the crossing to the left of a
steep, rotten, dirt slope, and round a projecting corner.
Here a slanting, narrow, green ledge led to a corner of easy
though steep grass. The route from here went up to right
by easy grass and rock to a broad grassy ledge. Then came
a remarkably steep and rotten wall, the whole 70 or 80 feet
of which appeared to be on the point of falling in ruins
into the corrie. Above this the angle eased off, the buttress
becoming more of a ridge. We finally climbed a steep
little rock tower, and found ourselves at the summit two
hours and a half from the foot. The wind here had, like
ourselves, "got up." It was bitterly cold, so we built the
usual stone man and made off.
This afternoon we returned, by way of a change, by the
ridge above Loch Laggan, a splendid scenic walk. We
also saw some good examples of Brocken Spectres, whose
fleeting forms C. Walker endeavoured to fix by means of
The Cliffs of Corrie Arder, 1 1
his camera lens. The evening was as fine as the morning,
but heavy clouds were beginning to hurry up from the
south-west, that " haunt and home " of the rain.
Next morning we cycled to Kingussie, taking Creag
Dhu en route. This is an extensive range of cliffs above
the road near Cluny. We did two climbs here. The first
is up into a large overhung chimney or cavern in the face
near its centre. The chimney comes to an end under the
overhang, but we found our way out on our left to a moun-
tain ash tree clinging to the face, and from there went
straight up to the top. Descending again, we attacked a
smaller but sporting chimney, a little way to the east of
the big one. This stopped in the same way as the first,
but again we got out to the left. C. Walker, who led, then
took us up the face above by steep and rotten grass ledges,
which, but for the ice-axe, we could not have ventured
upon. The ice-axe indeed is practically indispensable even
in summer, on the very steep grass ledges characteristic of
these rock faces. Well driven into the turf, it forms the
only hitch, — a thoroughly good one when properly worked.
On descending from the rocks from the second climb,
we were just in time to rescue an unfortunate rabbit from
the attack of a stoat. Though actually uninjured, poor
Bunny was completely palsied by fear, its small heart
beating like a sledge-hammer, and its eyes literally starting
from its head. It gradually recovered, however, and by
the time we had returned with our cycles repacked, was
sufficiently recovered to hop away. Our weather luck still
holding, we got to Kingussie in ample time for a meal
before catching the south-bound train, the first rain of the
trip beginning to fall as we entered Kingussie Station.
1 2 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
ARRAN.
"... Majestic Arran ! dearest far
Of all the isles, on which the setting sun
In golden glory smiles.**
Landsborough : Arran: A Poem^ p. 14.
" Arran, thy very name, like potent spell,
Fills the rapt mind with recollections sweet."
Ibid,y p. 17.
Arran ! How instantaneously do the eyes of those who
have ever landed on that island waken into life and interest
when they catch sight of these five letters ! How vividly
the memory brings back scenes of beauty and of peace, of
sternness and of strife ! Once again we wander in delight
o'er ridge and peak, in glen and corrie. Once again we fight
our way up gully, dyke, and slab, *mid whirling mist or
driving rain. Once more there comes before us that
charming view of Brodick Bay and Goatfell.
*' In few places on this fair earth is there beheld so delightful a
mingling of beauty and grandeur '* (Landsborough, p. 229).
Once more we recall the ever-changing, ever-maturing
autumn tints on Glenshant Hill ; heather, grass, bracken,
tree, and rock, one day lit up with the sun's vivid rays, the
next softened and subdued as mist and rain sweep down the
glen. As Nicolson very rightly remarks :
" Any one who values a grand view of mountain, wood, and sea, and
likes to see it from his own door at morning, noon, and evening, must
decide unhesitatingly in favour of Brodick, which in this respect, is not
surpassed, if equalled, by any place in Scotland — I should think, indeed,
that in all the world there are not many spots more beautiful " (Scots-
fnan, April 1872).
And yet nineteen out of twenty climbers who go to
Arran stay at Corrie ; they know not what they miss.
Words fail utterly to convey the charm and variety of the
view to one who has not seen it. Observe it daily for a
month : always the same, yet never the same ; let it sink
into our being, let it become part of ourselves. Perhaps
Professor A. C. Ramsay's description of the view is as good
as any ; it runs as follows :
" As the visitor enters Brodick Bay, the scene becomes exceedingly
beautiful. The lofty precipices, and gloomy shadows of the rugged
Arran, 13
ridge of Ben Ghnuis, which often throws a twilight hue over the deep
hollow of Glen Rosa, and strongly contrasts with the open and swelling
character of the hills around Glen Cloy ; the cliffs of Corriegills, the
white and sloping beach which rounds the bay, the Embattled castle
towering above its surrounding woods, the green enclosures, and
beyond these, the long expanse of brown heath, from which rises the
grey peak of Goatfell — all these form a scene of surpassing beauty, such
as cannot be excelled by the most romantic scenery of the far-famed
Firth of Clyde " (" The Geology of the Island of Arran," p. 2).
Before we leave Brodick, it will be well to note a few of
the many changes that have been made in the district
during the last fifty years, so that we may better understand
the remarks of some of the older writers. The plantation
on the east side of the main road from Brodick to Corrie,
between Strabane (the factor's residence) and the Castle, has
been made within the last half- century and practically
covers the site of the old village of Brodick. An interesting
sentence relating to the old village occurs in Grierson's
" Autumnal Rambles, &c.," p. 21 :
" In Brodick may be seen the old women sitting at their doors,
arrayed in flannel toys^ a species of head-gear now very little in use,
and the men lounging about knitting stockings on wires."
The well and pump one sees on the east side of the road,
sixty yards south of a cottage on the west side of the road,
which is in turn nearly two hundred yards south of the
Cnocanburn, where it goes under the road, constituted the
old village water supply. The situation of the old village
with a clear view out to sea and down Glen Rosa, was
undoubtedly a fine one, and I can quite appreciate the fact
that the villagers were not at all pleased at being forced to
move to the superior cottages in Douglas Row, with a
comparatively-speaking poor view. At that time the beach
was considerably wider than it is now, but it has been re-
duced to its present dimensions by many thousand tons of
sand having been taken away, mainly to Glasgow. Many
writers speak in glowing terms of the old inn,
** The neat, little, old-fashioned, weather-stained, and leaf-enveloped
Inn of Brodick" (" Days at the Coast," p. 156).
A full description of it is to be found in Hugh Mac-
donald's " Days at the Coast " (pp. 1 56, 1 57). The house
14 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
now forms part of the offices of the Castle, and lies some
seventy-five yards back from and north of the main road,
on the left of the route to Goatfell. The fact that it is i J
miles distant from the present Brodick Post Office must
be taken into account in comparing the times taken in the
earlier ascents of Goatfell with those taken now.
Etymology.
Before going up to the hills and glens, it may be inter-
esting to a few to refer briefly to the meaning of the place-
names in Arran. The reader in a number of cases can have
quite a charming selection to choose from.
As the Rev. Landsborough ingenuously remarks :
*Mt is difficult in general to trace the origin of names, and it is
amusing to see how Gaelic words can be twisted, so as to suit any
theory which the writer thinks fit to adopt " (p. 96).
ARRAN.
Arran, — The derivation of Arran favoured by the
reverend gentleman is :
Ar, high, and Inn, island.
'* M. Martin, Gent," in his book " Description of the
Western Islands of Scotland,'' second edition, I7i6,givesus
the choice of two :
Arran = Irish for bread.
Arran = Arin or Arfyn = place of the giant Fin-Mac-Cours
slaughter or execution. Aar= slaughter.
Pennant gives us :
Arr-inn = the island of mountains.
Macculloch :
Ar=a field of battle.
Fin = the hero of the Gael.
Hugh Macdonald in his "Days at the Coast" (p. 152)
makes merry at the etymologists' expense and mentions the
following :
Ard=high, inch = an island.
Aran = bread (Gaelic).
Arfhin=the land of Fingal.
Arran. 15
Lord Teignmouth offers us :
" Arran — ar, land or country : rinn, sharp points ; hence Ar-rinn
signifies island of sharp pinnacles, or the land of serrated tops or
summits — a most appropriate name for Arran/'
And lastly Dr Cameron of Brodick, a high authority,
says :
"Probably from Gaelic Ara (genitive Aran), a kidney, which
exactly gives Arran's shape/'
BRODICK.
Brodick, — In the case of Brodick, we have not such a
varied choice, but the following three seem to me mutually
exclusive :
Brodick. — Brodaic in Gaelic signifies a standard or flag. The
royal standard was exhibited from the Castle of Brodick for centuries.
So that the Castle of Brodick signifies the Castle of the Royal Flag
(Lord Teignmouth).
Hroddick=hill of gentle rise (Headrick, p. 58).
Brodick, c, 1306 Brathwik, 1488 Bradewik ; Old Norse, Breidr
vik = broad bay (Johnston's " Place-names*').
GOATFELL.
Goatfell. — ^Johnston says :
" Very likely from Norse, god, gud = good, sacred. Fell is Ice-
landic, fell, a hill, or fjall, a mountain.
According to Bryce, Goatfell is an unmeaning corrup-
tion of the native name of this mountain, and the " correct "
name would be Gaothbhein or Bein-gaoth = the hill of the
wind.
Headrick waxes somewhat indignant over this alleged
corruption, and writes :
" The Gaelic name of this mountain is Gaodh Bhein, mountain of
winds ; and the name Goatfell has been imposed on it by the
Sassanoch, or strangers, who have visited the island.. There is a
gross absurdity in calling it Goatfield ; the last syllable denoting a
level plain, to which it is a complete contrast " (p. 36, note).
As a Sassanoch myself, I must really protest against
this accusation of having corrupted Gaelic, and shall require
stronger proof than the reverend gentleman's mere state-
ment. If the title is a corruption, it is a fairly old one.
1 6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
as on referring to Blaeu's Atlas published at Amsterdam
in 1654, 1 find the name of the mountain printed " Keadefelt
Hil," and I decline to believe that the nearest approach
that Mr Timothy Pont, who was responsible for the map
of Arran in that atlas, could get to Gaothbhein was Keade-
felt Moreover, Mr Pont was not a Sassanoch, but a son
of the manse.
Glen Shant= valley of enchantment (Headrick, p. 49). Shant=
a charm, Gaelic (Johnston).
Glen Rosa = Ferry Point Glen (Bryce, p. 166). Rosa=Rosach
rosy, red, Gaelic (Johnston).
CORRIE — Gaelic coire, a cauldron ; hence a glen, ravine (Johnston).
ClOCH NA h' OlGHE=the maiden's breast.
Sannox, prob. = Sannaig — Sandaig = Sandy Bay (Johnston).
Some think from Gaelic Sannoch= river trout.
Glkn Halmidel (O.S. Glen Chalmadale) = glen of pigeons
(Headrick, p. 203).
Loch Ranza^OW Norse Rans-ay=Isle of Ran, giant goddess,
queen of the sea (Johnston, first edition).
^Icelandic Rans-ay=isle of the house, or isle of
plunder (Johnston, second edition).
= Loch -arran-say= the loch of the isle of Arran
(Lord Teignmouth and Mc Arthur).
ToRR NeaI) an EoiN = heap of birds' nests (Headrick, p. 196).
= mountain of birds* nests (Bryce, p. 140).
= the hill of ptarmigans (Landsborough, p.
228).
C atacOL = Catagill. Cata = a small ship. Gill = ravine, Old Norse
(Johnston).
SuiDHK Khearghas = Fergus' Seat. "There is a tradition in
Arran, that, once on a time, when Fergus the First made a survey (not
geological) of his kingdom, in the course of his wanderings he visited
Arran. To obtain a view of the island and the frith, the monarch and
his attendants climbed this lofty hill, where, to refresh themselves
after the fatigue, they sat down to dine. Hence the name" (Ramsay,
p. 25, note).
Ckum na Caillich switch's step or Carlin*s leap.
Caisteal Abhail= fortress of the ptarmigan (Ramsay, p. 7).
CiR MHOR = the big comb. A Chir=the comb.
Bkinn Nuis = the face mountain.
Beinn TARSUlNN = the transverse mountain. This is a favourite
name in Arran ; there are four hills so called.
Meall nan DAM.H=hill of bucks (Nicolson).
Beinn Bhreac = spotted hill ; another favourite name, and given
to three hills.
Arran, 17
Beinn Bharrain= barren mountain.
Loch Tanna= shallow lake.
Whiting Bay. — Even an obvious derivation of this place is not
allowed to rest in peace. Mr McArthur thinks it probable the name
is of purely Scandinavian origin, from Norse Ting, a hill on which
meetings were held.
Lamlash (formerly simply Molas)=Lann ljai\s = Gaelic Church of
St Las, commonly in the endearing form Molas or Molios (lann =
Welsh Han) (Johnston).
Lumh-laish=Lumh-lathaich=the anchorage of mud or clay
(Lord Teignmouth).
The occurrence of several old Norse words in the above
list reminds us of the fact that for many centuries the
western coast of Scotland was in the hands of the Nor-
wegians. Arran was not finally ceded to Scotland till
1266, three years after the Norwegian power had been
shattered at Largs. Nowadays the S.M.C. invade Norway*
Tempora mutantur !
GOATFELL.
The accompanying outline sketch shows roughly the
position of the higher Arran hills ; it will be seen they fall
naturally into three groups :
1. Glenshant Hill to Cioch na h' Oighe.
2. Beinn Nuis to Suidhe Fhearghas.
3. Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Bharrain.
Cir Mhor, though only fourth in height, is the centre and
keystone of groups i and 2. Its magnificent trident summit
dominates Glen Sannox from sea to summit, and although
in Glen Rosa it has rivals, it maintains its supremacy even
there.
There are a number of ways up Goatfell.
I. The easiest is from Corrie up the Corrie Burn (White
Water) (no track) right bank for ij miles to about 1,100
feet, then up the shoulder of Meall Breac joining the path
from Brodick at 1975 feet, after which the north side of
the ridge should be kept as far as possible, and a scramble
up the last steep 350 feet lands us on the summit {S,M,C,
Journal^ Vol. IIL, p. 206). This was the route taken by
John Fleming in 1807 — see Scots Magazine, vol. Ixx.
XLIII. B
1 8 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
2. From Brodick the usual route of ascent is a very
pleasant one :
" Instead of having, as is often the case, to traverse miles of roug^h
or boggy moor before getting near the mountain, you are exhilarated
at the outset by the charming walk through the Brodick Castle
grounds ; then after clearing the wood, where you get some lovely
peeps of the mountain over the green fir-tops, the ascent to the old
mill dam is very easy, and the path well beaten. From this point,
again, to the ridge that leads to the top, the ascent is even more
gradual, though a little rougher as you ascend. The last 500 feet
alone present any difficulty, and that not great. ... By taking it easy
and avoiding obstacles, the ascent of Goatfell may be comfortably
accomplished by any one fit to walk ten miles on a level road"
(Nicolson).
3. From the saddle between Glens Rosa and Sannox up
the north-west ridge and along Stacach (more or less of
a track the whole way).
4. Up the south ridge from the mill dam. From the
mill dam to the foot of the south ridge of Goatfell is very
marshy, and it is better to keep the main track till a big
cairn is reached about 1400 feet up, then turn sharply to
the west to the top of the ridge and north along it.
5. From the summit a descent can easily be made
direct into Coire nam Meann, leaving the main track to
your left, but nothing is gained thereby. The ascent by
this route is steep and very rough.
6. Along the summit of Glen Shant Hill and Coire
Chatan.
7. Up Dearg Choirein from Glen Rosa and along
Stacach. In descending take care to go far enough along
Stacach towards the north-west ridge before striking down,
so as to avoid the slabs and rocks on the west face of
Goatfell.
On the descent by this route Nicolson makes the follow-
ing remarks :
"The descent to Glen Rosa is very steep. ... It is, however,
perfectly manageable to those who know how to do it. To those who
don't, it is sufficiently dangerous, as was found some years ago by a
learned lexicographer, who attempted it, and stuck among some rock
ledges, where he could neither descend nor retrace his steps. There
stood, with his back against the rock, during all the long hours of an
August night, with nothing to console him but his cigar case, the
THX KXX^JLS OT JiiK'KAl€ .
J
Arran, 19
learned LL.D. to whom every student of Greek and Roman history
owes so much. What his feelings must have been during those weary
hours as he watched the great Orion * sloping slowly to the west ' and
listened to the roar of the streams in the darkness of Glen Rosa, one
can imagine. With the first blink of dawn a searching party from the
Douglas Hotel came and found him, still perched in his unpleasant
fastness and waving on the top of his stick a sheet of the Times / ^
[JV.B. — This happened on a Sunday, and it may well be supposed
that it afforded sharp point for a moral in the Free Church pulpit that
day week.]
None of these routes present the least difficulty from
a climber's standpoint, but non-climbers without guides
would do well to keep to the first two routes mentioned.
Climbers may like to know that an English party
prospected the steep west face of Goatfell last year, and
report half-a-dozen gullies, some with jammed blocks.
They are of opinion that some good climbing can be
had there. With the aid of an alpenstock, the writer
once descended straight from the summit to Glen Rosa
over slabs, and has no wish to repeat the performance, but
two men and a rope would manage it comfortably enough.
The view from the summit has been often described,
and it is very curious to us to find a note of "horror"
running through all those published to within the last fifty
years. Thus the Rev. Grierson, a stalwart pedestrian,
writes of a visit of his to Arran in 1840 :
" But by far the most attractive object seen from Goatfell is the
mountain itself, with those by which it is immediately surrounded.
In this respect Goatfell surpasses anything of the kind I ever saw, and
I have climbed many of the most elevated peaks in Scotland, England,
and Wales. The upper part of the mountain, as well as those adjoin-
ing, consists of naked rocks, huge masses of granite, piled up in the
most grotesque and fantastic forms by nature's mighty architect. In
some instances there is an appearance of regularity, Cyclopian walls,
like mason work upon a gigantic scale. In other parts the most
' frightful chasms appear, into which the eye cannot penetrate without
a thrill of horror, while around you are seen serrated ridges, like huge
devouring fangs" ("Autumnal Rambles," p. 3).
And to quote another minister :
" One of my college friends, on his return from visiting Arran, told
me that when on the top of Goatfell, he had been filled with astonish-
ment, not unmingled with fear. The cliffs were so precipitous, that it
J
20 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
almost made him giddy to look down into the chasms, some of which
were between two and three thousand feet deep ; and that when he
looked on the sharp peaks and naked pinnacles, bristling^ up in this
scene of horror and devastation, he could scarcely help thinking that
they were the claws of the old dragon ready to clutch him " (Lands-
borough, p. 124).
Jamieson in i8cx) writes :
" Here nature exhibits to the astonished eye the most terrific and
sublime scenery " (p. 17).
" To the northward we look down upon the peaked summits and
deep glens in the neighbourhood of Goatfield, whose arid and reddish
appearance suggests to our minds the effects of a dreadful conflagra-
tion " (pp. 33, 34).
So late as 1857 we read :
" In the immediate vicinity of Goatfell there is indeed a terrible
congregation of jagged mountain ridges and fantastic peaks with tre-
mendous yawning glens and shadowy corries. . . . One could
almost imagine that the volcano and the earthquake had been here at
their awful work at a comparatively recent period" (Hugh Macdonald
" Days at the Coast," p. 169).
And:
" Something akin to absolute terror takes possession of our mind
as we pass up its (Cir Mhor's) abrupt watercourses and crooked sheep
tracks, where one false step would be instant destruction " i^Ibid.^ p-
170).
Headrick, in speaking of the view from the Castles, caps
all when he writes :
"The awful corry, or cavern below, contrasted with the ragged
mountains that encircled it, freezed the soul with horror, and, for a
time, suspended its active powers" (p. 197).
Pass from these writers to Prof. Ramsay, and in his
description of the view from Goatfell we find the true ring :
" Having reached the highest point of Goatfell, the eye of the
geologist suddenly rests on a scene, which, if he be a true lover of
nature, cannot fail to inspire him with astonishment and delight. The
jagged and spiry peaks of the surrounding mountains, the dark hollows
and deep shady corries into which the rays of the sun scarce ever
penetrate, the open swelling hills beyond, the winding shores of Loch-
fyne, and the broad Firth of Clyde studded with its peaceful and fertile
islands, the rugged mountains of Argyllshire, and the gentle curves of
the hills of the Western Isles, their outlines softened in the distance,
form a scene of most surpassing grandeur and loveliness. In all its
varying aspects, it is a scene the memory of which can be dwelt on
Arran. 21
with pleasure — whether it be seen in the early morning, when the
white mists, drawn upwards from the glens, float along the hills, and
half conceal their giant peaks ; or in the gloom of an autumn evening,
when the descending clouds, urged onwards by the blast, flit swiftly
across the mountain sides, while ever and anon their gloomy shoulders
loom largely through the rolling masses, and seem to the beholder to
double their vast proportions ; or in the mellow light of a summer
sunset, when the shadows of the hills fall far athwart the landscape,
and the distant Atlantic gleams brightly in the slanting rays of the
setting sun ; while, as he sinks below the horizon, it is difficult to dis-
tinguish the lofty summits of Jura and the Isles from the gorgeous
masses of clouds among which he disappears " (" Geology of the Island
of Arran," pp. 7, 8).
The four piles of rock on the ridge between the summit of
Goatfell and the north-west ridge leading to the Saddle are
called on the six-inch O.S. map " Stacach." There is quite a
passable track along the ridge, avoiding all difficulties.
Pennant quaintly says of Goatfell, it is " composed of
immense piles of moor stone, in form of woolpacks." ♦
ClOCH NA H* OlGHE.
From North Goatfell along the ridge to Cioch na
h' Oighe is a delightful scramble, affording fine views.
At one point the ridge narrows to a knife-edge. Having
reached Cioch na h' Oighe, a visit to Coire na Ciche should
certainly not be omitted. The descent thereto can be
made down one of the grass and heather traverses, for full
particulars of which see S,M,C, Journal^ Vol. III., pp. 198-
200, or go back on your footsteps a little and come down
the bed of the burn at the head of the coire. The descent
requires care just at the start, as the angle is steep ; but the
slight difficulties vanish rapidly, and two small pitches,
♦ The position assigned to North Goatfell by Mr Douglas, Vol.
III., 196, was not considered satisfactory by the writer, and a fellow-
meniber who had independently considered the point also came to the
same adverse conclusion. Mr Douglas says : " The name ' North
Goatfell,' when used, should no doubt apply to the most prominent
point on the Goatfell ridge north of the summit, and that appears to
be the top that rises to 2,684 feet, half a mile north of the summit."
But in our opinion the most prominent point is that where the Am
Binnein shoulder joins the main ridge. This point also happens to be
higher than Mr Douglas's North Goatfell by 32 feet, 2,716 in all.
22 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
neither exceeding ten feet, go easily. The ascent by this
route can also be recommended, i^. to Salvationists. After
having taken one's fill of the fine cliffs, the shoulder of
MuUach Buidhe is rounded and a direct descent made
over the moors to Corrie, where, if you wish, you can follow
the example of Mr Pennant, and " dine at the Corry ; a
small house, belonging to a gentleman of Airshire. who
visits this place for the benefit of goafs whey" (p. 171).
Glens Rosa and Sannox.
No visitor to Arran will omit THE glens, and few who go
through them once but will try and repeat the walk.
There is so much variety in the contour of the hill-tops
and ridges as seen from different points, that the view might
be described as " cinematograjdiic." Then again the vary-
ing weather conditions in which the walk is taken reveal
fresh and unexpected beauties. The cloud and mist effects
obtained on what people seated round a fire would call a
hopelessly wet day, are frequently unspeakably grand.
The different hour, too, in which we see the glens, imparts a
further variety of light and shade. Personally, I prefer
the late afternoon and early evening, when the sun has just
sunk behind A' Chir, and the western slopes of the glen are
a mass of deep, dark shadow, with the ragged ridges
sharply silhouetted against the gorgeous colouring of an
autumn sunset Turn your eyes east, and what a contrast !
The upper half of the Goatfell ridge is brilliantly lit up
with the sun's expiring rays, and every detail of gully,
corrie, scaur, and rock - tower is revealed. We linger
entranced : slowly the brightness dies away, slowly the
shadows creep up to the summit ; then suddenly we awake
to the fact that the air is chilly, and homeward we must
wend our way.
Jamieson seems to have explored both glens pretty
thoroughly, but there is no hint in his writings that he
crossed the Saddle.
To Macculloch the entrance merely to both glens
probably proved sufficient : so far as regards Glen Rosa,
I think the following remarks by him suffice to prove
this:
Arran, 23
*' Beyond the entrance of Glen Rossie all beauty ceases ; being
replaced by wildness without magnificence " (sic) (p. 29).
Again :
" It is not difficult from this point (/>., the summit of Goatfell) to
descend into Glen Rossie or Glen Sanicks. It is equally easy when
on the summit of Goatfell to cross to Ben Huish and Ben Breach, and
then to visit the two small mountain lochs, Loch Jorsa and Loch
Tana, terminating the day's journey at Loch Ranza " (p. 30).
No, no, Mr Macculloch ; you never did the last-men-
tioned trip in one day yourself, and I doubt whether any-
body else has.
Glen Sannox he niuch more appreciated :
'^ Glen Sanicks ... is the sublime of magnitude, and simplicity,
and obscurity and silence'* (vol. ii., p. 35, 1824).
*' It is in Glen Sannox, above all, that the effects arising from
magnitude of dimension, combined with breadth of forms and with
simplicity of composition and colouring, are most strongly felt''
(vol. ii., p. 31 3i 1 8 19).
No, the credit of having first introduced the Saddle to
the travelling public must apparently be given to the fair sex.
Bryce states :
"Up till the year 1822 this path was known as practicable only by
shepherds, some of whom occasionally used it. But in that year two
enterprising young ladies. Miss Alison and Miss Crooks, both from
near Kilmarnock, but residing sLt Brodick, having arrived on a
summer afternoon at the top of the ridge by passing up Glen Rosa,
determined to try the descent into Glen Sannox, and return by the
coast road. With great difficulty and loss of time they made good
the descent ; but were so late on arriving at Brodick, that all the
young men of the village had started off in parties, in different
directions, to search for them. Their tale excited no small wonder "
(p. 163).
In an interesting little booklet entitled " The Scottish
Tourist's Steam-boat Pocket Guide," published in the year
183s, occurs the following recommendation (p. 114) :
** A good pedestrian should not fail to ascend Glen Sannox, cross
over the ridge at its head, and descend upon Brodick by Glen Rosa."
On the 27th July 1836 the Rev. C. Lesingham Smith of
Cambridge crossed the Saddle from Sannox to Rosa,
accompanied by a guide (p. 165).
In 1840 Grierson apparently crossed the Saddle
guideless :
24 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
" Returning by a somewhat different route, I descended" (from some
point on the Cioch na h' Oighe and Goatfell ridge) " at great hazard
into the upper part of Glen Sannox, passed over into Glen Rosa, close
by Kier-Vobr and Castleaval, descending the said glen with unbounded
admiration, but not without dread of being benighted, if not cut off in
such circumstances as might exclude the probability of my ever re-
ceiving Christian burial.
" The upper part of this Glen is of the rudest and most romantic
character" (p. 4).
On the 1 2th September 1842, Lord Cockburn in his
^* Circuit Journeys," notes that two of his companions
**went up the whole of Sannox and down Glenrosie — a severe but
admirable walk. These two glens — which hold Goatfell in their arms
— are of the same character ; rough with marsh and rock, roaring
with water, and gloriously hemmed in by black splintered peaks *' (p.
173).
Cockburn on a previous page (169) mentions that he
explored Glenrosie,
** a valley well worth passing a day in. All gushing with the clearest
water tumbling over granite ; deep sides, browned with chocolate-
coloured autumn fern, many dark rocky peaks, and the upper end
enclosed by as striking an assemblage of black and picturesque pre-
cipitous mountain-tops as is often to be seen."
In 184 — Landsborough apparently walked up Glen
Sannox, ascended Cir Mhor, and thence down Glen Rosa,
but his exact route is not stated.
At the mouth of Glen Sannox, 250 yards along the lane
on the south side, there is an old cemetery. At one time
there was a chapel here, but all that now remains of it is a
rudely-carved stone, representing St Michael's head, built
into the cemetery wall. In this enclosure will be found the
grave of Rose, who was murdered on Goatfell some fifteen
years ago. The tombstone consists of a fair-sized boulder
of rock on which is carved his name, &c. The memorial
seems most appropriate. Six hundred yards farther on, if,
instead of crossing the wooden bridge over the burn, you
follow the old lane, a few yards will lead you to the site of
a barytes mill, removed some forty years ago.
" It was erected here to grind the sulphate of barytes, a heavy spar,
raised from veins which traverse the old red sandstone," and convert
it " into a substitute for white lead, in the composition of paint."
Arran. 25
Ramsay describes fully the process of manufacture (p. 24).
{Cf. Grierson, p. 7.)
On the opposite side of the stream a few yards north
of the track is a large circular hole some twelve feet in
diameter, now filled with water, and which I understand
was one of the entrances to the mine workings. It is
unfenced, and would give a traveller who wandered from
the track in the dark a most unpleasant and dangerous
experience.
The Saddle.
The guide books apparently consider that there is now
a highroad between the glens, as only one I have seen hints
at there being any difficulty in the passage. The ordinary
tourist coming up Glen Rosa will, I think, be very disagree-
ably surprised when he reaches the Saddle and sees what a
precipitous descent it is into Glen Sannox. A member of
the Geological Survey in " The Geology of North Arran,
&c.," describes the descent as "precipitous and difficult"
{p. 3). The exact route down is not at all obvious to the
inexperienced eye, and as it may be useful to some, a note
will be found at the end of this article giving directions
both for the ascent and descent, also a note for the ascent
of Cir Mhor from the Saddle.
I
Beinn Nuis.
The finest ridge walk in the island has been already
described by Mr W. Douglas in his article " The Granite
Peaks of Arran," S,M,C, Journal, Wo\, III., pp. 195-21 1.
Beside the route to Beinn Nuis mentioned there, viz., up Glen
Rosa to Garbh Allt, then up the left side of that stream, there
are two others that might be named. From the summit
of the String road skirting the head of Gleann Easbuig
(Bishop's Glen), you can strike over the gently rising moor
direct for the Ben. After rain this route is distinctly soft.
The third route is up Glen Rosa to Garbh Allt, from whence
strike north-east over the slope of Beinn a' Chliabhain into
Coire a' Bhradain, then turn east and look out for a sheep
track which circles round Coire nam Meann (a fine descrip-
tion of this lonely corrie will be found in Bryce, pp. 58, 59),
26 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
and the Nuis ridge can be gained by striking up the head
of the coire. On the north of the coire there is a bold
pinnacle or buttress of the usual woolpack type, and also,
at least two fairly broad gullies affording good scrambles,
Nuis always reminds me of the Plattkofel in the Dolomite
Alps. For climbs on its face see Mr Oppenheimer's
article in S.M.C. Journal, Vol. VII., pp. 1-9.
Beinn Tarsuinn.
The next summit to the north, Beinn Tarsuinn, though
109 feet higher, lacks the individuality of its southern
neighbour, and is probably not often ascended direct.
The most direct route from Brodick is to follow No. 3
route to Beinn Nuis into Coire a' Bhradain, and instead
of turning east, keep straight up the corrie till you are
about level with the highest point of Beinn a' Chliabhain
on your right, where turn north-east into the Ealta Choire,
and a rough steep scramble into its apex, where two walls
of rock almost join, lands you at the foot of a broad
trap dyke gully leading sharply up rotten ground, with
here and there natural rock staircases to the ridge twenty
yards north of the summit This gully is well seen all
the way up Coire a' Bhradain. In descending from the
summit it will be found that the gully is the second on
the east, not the first*
Bowmen's Pass.
The next point of interest on the ridge is the pass of
the bowmen, Bealach an Fhir-Bhogha ; why so called I
know not Whether the following speculation by a fellow-
member will be considered satisfactory by authorities is
doubtful, but 1 give it for what it is worth :
" In da.ys of old, when the natives' sole means of defence were bows
and arrows, it became necessary from time to time to replenish the
tribal larder. A deer drive was then arranged, some of the expert
marksmen were placed across the pass, and the remainder of the tribe
drove the deer through. Hence comes the name Pass of the
Bowmen."
* On the rocks between the summit of Tarsuinn and the Bowmen'»
Pass several climbs have been done.
Arran, 27
It will be seen from this that the faculty of imagination
has not yet deserted the Club. It is sometimes thought
that the Bealach connects Glen lorsa with Coire Daingean,
but a glance at the six-inch O.S. map makes it quite clear
that the Bealach connects Glen lorsa with Ealta Choire
(see Bryce, p. 61). The Bealach is not therefore the lowest
point (2,106 feet) between Tarsuinn and A' Chir, but runs
along the top of the cliff forming the south-east boundary
of Coire Daingean, and is 2,250 feet at its summit. If the
climber be coming up Coire a' Bhradain or along the Chlia-
bhain ridge en route for A' Chir, there is no need to
mount to the pass. A sheep track will be found traversing
the precipitous north-east face of Coire Daingean just
below the cliffs. The track starts from the lowest point
on the Chliabhain ridge and emerges at the lowest point
between Tarsuinn and A' Chir (2,106) feet. On the cliffs
above this track, some thirty yards from the A' Chir end,
is a deep cleft running the whole way up the cliff face
and far into the rock, the site of a dyke now eroded. It
is evidently this cleft which is referred to on pages 113-115
oith^Joumaly Vol. VII., as being on Chliabhain, but these
cliffs are certainly more closely associated with Tarsuinn
than Chliabhain.
The cleft has smooth sides of the usual cyclopean wall
type with several blockstones, and climbing it involves
much back and knee work. Messrs Raeburn and Ling
have, I understand, accomplished it, and have also con-
quered another more open gully a little to the south.
Another route to the above-mentioned 2,106 feet point
on the ridge, probably a quicker one in all weather con-
ditions, but most certainly so in mist, is to follow the
Glen Rosa track to where the bum from Coire Daingean
joins the main stream, or if the day be clear, strike away
from the Rosa Bum lower down and round the shoulder
of Chliabhain into Coire Daingean, then follow the bum
till a height of some 1,250 feet has been reached, when
steer east and skirt the slabs of A' Chir on your right till
you come to a broad trap dyke gully. Up the stairs and
you are soon at the summit, a few yards north of the cleft
above referred to. In descending, the guide for the start
28 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
is a sheer face forming the commencement of the A' Chir
ridge, a few yards north of the lowest point on the ridge
hereabouts. The dyke runs down the side of this face,
Coire Daingean, as seen from the Chliabhain ridge, is
thus described by Grierson :
" Immediately beside and under me lay a huge excavation, fenced
by nearly perpendicular cliffs, much resembling the crater of an extinct
volcano" (p. i8).
A* Chir.
From the Bowmen's Pass we have a choice of routes to
Cir Mhor — (i) to follow the ridge known by at least three
names, the Ceims, A' Chir, and Lord Brougham's Nose,
whose "jagged and notched character," Bryce says, " makes
it impossible for us to pass along ; " or (2) to follow a " safe,
though rough and irregular pathway," at tl>e foot of the
slabs on the lorsa side. On the Glen Rosa side the ridge
presents a " continued precipice."
Nicholson seems to have the same opinion of the ridge
as Bryce, as he says emphatically that "nobody should
attempt it who is not fond of getting into difficult places
and quite able to get safely out of them." Quite so ; but to
such persons, and there are a number of them in the
S.M.C., the ridge affords a delightful scramble, and from a
rock climber's standpoint Ihe route is simple. For full
particulars the reader can refer to Mr Douglas' article men-
tioned above, foumaly Vol. III., pp. 201-203. At point A in
the diagram on p. 202 of that article, there is an alter-
nate route. Keep the grass-filled crack there mentioned
on your left, and walk or slide yourself, as fancy dictates,
down a sloping granite slab till you reach its edge ; here
you find a small cup-shape hollow generally filled with
water, take hold of the lip of the cup with your two
hands, swing yourself over, and when you are at full stretch
(unless you are very short), your feet will just touch a
boulder resting on a huge sloping slab leading to the col,
marked B on the diagram. From B you can descend
into Coire Buidhe with care ; a piton hks been fixed on
the north side of the gully some 12 feet down. From D
you can descend the lorsa side ; only the first 20 feet
will give any trouble, and that not serious. An ascent here
Arran, 29
is equally practicable. If any one, not being a member
of the S.M.C., wants an easy route to the summit, let
him take the path up Glen Rosa, clamber up the rough
heather slopes of Fionn Choire till he is close to the col
between Cir Mhor and A' Chir. Then turning south into
Coire Buidhe, a scramble up a steep grass slope at the
head of the Coire will land him close to the underhung
boulder that forms the actual summit, and if he be alone,
getting on to the flat top of this boulder will be by far the
most difficult piece of work he has had to do. A descent
by the same route is equally practicable.
CiR Mhor.
Having clambered over the remainder of the A' Chir
ridge, the summit of Cir Mhor is soon attained. This hill
is the El Dorado of the rock climber ; th^ Journal contains
three articles thereon, and notes many (see list at end of
Article). He who wishes to explore the gullies, dykes,
caves, ridges, shoots, shelves, pinnacles, and grooves of the
Big Comb is referred thereto. I understand there is also "a"
gully there still awaiting its victor or victims more. No
one ascending the main summit should omit the ascent of
the Rosa pinnacle a little to the south. It is a pleasure to
find the easy route up for oneself, and a water-filled hollow
on a ledge half way up comes in extremely useful for wash-
ing off a few of the traces of a too hearty attachment to the
coarse granite. The descent into Glen Rosa from the Rosa
pinnacle is easily made by going straight down a broad
gully, keeping the pinnacle immediately on your right at
first ; then a steep wall of rock will be seen on your left,
forming one side of a trap dyke ; bear to the left, follow the
dyke, and you are soon in Fionn Choire.
To descend to the Saddle from the Pinnacle one must
steer due west, crossing the head of the broad gully men-
tioned above.
It is interesting to find that Jamieson at the end of the
eighteenth century had evidently explored the upper
corries to the east of Glen Rosa. He makes the following
remarks thereon :
30 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
" Ben-echleven (Beinn a' Chliabhsun) declines rapidly towards the
N.E., forming a tremendous hollow, named Cory-dain (Coire Dain-
gean), whose bottom is far elevated above that of Glenrosa, but is
lower than the bottom of the next hollow, named the Feun-hody
(Fionn Choire), which is raised far above either, presenting to the
bewilder'd eye an amazing scene of ridged and peaked rocks of
granite " (p. 42).
This description of Fionn Choire probably refers to the
inner corrie beyond Fionn Choire, viz., Coire Buidhe.
In Jamieson's "Mineralogy," published in 1800, and
from which the above extract is taken, is a map of Arran,
facing p. 17 (vol. i.), on which "the route through the
island " is marked in double lines. One route leads from
Brodick up Glen Rosa, probably over the col between Cir
Mhor and A' Chir; then skirting the Castles, it proceeds by
Loch na Davie down Gleann Easan Biorach to Loch
Ranza. This seems to have been a favourite excursion,
as it is mentioned by several of the earlier writers on
Arran.
Caisteal Abhail.
Jamieson also records an ascent of the next summit on
the main ridge we are pursuing, viz., the Castles, or to give
it its official title, Caisteal Abhail.* In the older maps, the
Castles are not favoured with a special appellation ; but the
whole ridge (except Suidhe Fhearghas) is known as Ceum
na Caillich (Font's map, 1608, Lem na Kailzie).
Jamieson's ascent was made from Gleann Easan Biorach,
probably up the shoulder of the north-west ridge of the
Castles from a point below Loch na Davie. He says :
" Upon ascending, we first stop at the edge of what is called the
* Garife-hodie ' (Garb Choire) : here a wonderful and most tremendous
scene presents itself to our view. An immense hollow, many hundred
♦ Pennant (vol. ii., p. 168) mentions a hill, Grianan-Athol, which
for various reasons I think must be Caisteal Abhail, but it is difficult
to understand how the one name could have been corrupted into the
other.
In "Scotland Delineated" (179X) "for the use of young persons"
(p. 66), we read, " the summits of Goat-field and Grianan-Athol soar
high above the rest" ; and in "The New Picture of Scotland" (1807),
a guide book (vol. ii., p. 298), " Grianan-Athol " has become further
corrupted into " Grinnanathol."
Arran, 31
feet deep, dreadfully rugged and broken, almost entirely surrounded
with mountains, whose serrated summits are covered with immense
tumuli of granite, exhibits to us, in very legible characters, the vast
operations of nature in the formation and decomposition of our
globe " (p. 80).
Three ridges radiate from the Castles — one to the north-
west, to Loch na Davie ; one to the north, considerably more
rocky, leading to N. Glen Sannox, once the home of a con-
siderable population, now absolutely deserted (Ramsay, p.
40 ; Bryce, p. 146) ; and the third, north-east to Suidhe
Fhearghas. Good clambering can be had along the last-
named till the Carlin's Leap is passed. For the route up
the north side of the Leap, see S,M,C, Journal^ Vol. III.,
p. 205. If any one is indisposed to tackle this, let him
descend the gully (north) for some thirty feet, then with a
little search a grass traverse can be found leading round on
to the ridge at the foot of the final rise to the Carlin's Leap.
Coming from Suidhe Fhearghas, where the final rise to the
Leap comes, descend along the base of the rocks for a few
feet, and the traverse is the first available route on the left
Beinns Bhreac and Bharrain.
The western hills with their rounded contours do not
offer much scope to the rock-climber, but they are never-
theless well worth a visit for the fine views they afford of
their rougher brethren in the east.
Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Bharrain are most easily
ascended from Pirnmill, but as climbing men will probably
be stopping at Corrie or Brodick, the following routes from
those places may be mentioned.
From Brodick up Glen Rosa, over the col between Cir
Mhor and A' Chir ; then descend into Garbh-choire Dubh
to about the 1,250 contour, and strike north-east along the
flank of the north-east ridge of the Castles, keeping about the
same altitude, leave Loch na Davie a little to the north,
turn south-west round Beinn Bhreac and along the southern
slopes of Beinn Tarsuinn, still keeping the 1,250 contour,
and in due time the north end of Loch Tanna is reached.
A rough path will be found from near Loch na Davie for
32 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
nearly two miles, when it disappears, but it should be
struck, if possible, as it saves much time : it is quite distinct
on the col between Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Tarsuinn, a little
below the summit (south-west side). From Loch Tanna, a
straight steep clamber of nearly 1,300 feet over mixed rock
and heather lands you on the double-cairned summit of
Beinn Bhreac (2,305 and 2,333 feet respectively); follow the
ridge south, and after completing a semicircle of one and a
half miles, the summit of Mullach Buidhe (2,368 feet),
due east from the north end of Dubh Loch, is reached. Nc^
mention of this hill is made on the one-inch O.S. map^
although its summit forms the highest point on the ridge,
beating Beinn Bharrain by twenty-three feet according to
the six-inch map. Another half-mile, and Bharrain with
its two equal tops of 2,345 feet a few yards from each other,
will be attained. Some " woolpacks " will be found here,
and just south of the summit the ground is broken and
rocky. A descent can now be made due south to lorsa
Water, and after passing Dougrie Lodge with its antlered
exterior, the main coast road is reached and the Water
crossed by a bridge ; a twelve-mile road walk via Machrie
farm and the " String " brings the enthusiastic pedestrian
home to Brodick. From Corrie the above route can be
struck by going up Glen Sannox and Coire na h' Uaimh ; or
a longer route, from the highest point on the Glen Chalma-
dale road strike south-west and keep an elevation of about
850 feet till Gleann Easan Biorach is reached, when turn
south to Loch na Davie.
Loch Coirein Lochain.
A more repaying route from the summit of Bheinn
Bharrain than that above described, is to come back again
to Beinn Bhreac (or omit Bharrain altogether), and pro-
ceed along the ridge north (avoid the north-east fork in
the ridge to Meall Biorach). In half-an-hour from Beinn
Bhreac the ridge wanderer will find himself above a loch
which the one-inch O.S. map does not dignify with a
name, but which in Ramsay's opinion " is by far the most
Arran. 33
picturesque of all the lochs of Arran " (p. 49), and to which
Bryce refers as " the lovely and secluded corrie and burn "
p. 1 37). The loch
"is situated deep in a hollow called Corrie an Lachan. The place
is perfectly lonely; not a tree is near; and except the brown
heath on its margin, and a few stunted rushes by the brook, the
surrounding hills are almost bare of vegetation. The water is dark
and deep, and the stormy blasts of the mountain never reach its still
and unruffled surface. From its edge, on all sides but that towards
the sea, rise the naked hills " (Ramsay, p. 50).
Loch Ranza.
To come back to our ridge, we can (i) continue over
Meall nan Damh past Lochan a' Mhill, nestling on the hill's
shoulder, to the main coast road just south of the Glen
Catacol stream ; or we can (2) plunge down east into Glen
Catacol, and crossing the burn go rapidly down to Catacol
by the path on its east bank ; * 2\ miles more, and we reach
old-world Loch Ranza.
" The entrance to Loch Ranza appeared to me peculiarly delight-
ful .. . the beautiful expanse of water embosomed in the hills, the
peninsula with the old castle nodding over its own decay, the hamlets
with the green fields and trees scattered around the margin, the hills
at the head of the loch, raising their naked summits to the skies and
encircled with the clouds, form altogether a most interesting picture ''
{The Scots Magcusine^ vol. 70, p. 22).
In '* Pennant's Tour " is a very quaint woodcut entitled,
" Loch Ranza Bay and the manner of taking the basking
Shark," In the letterpress the reader is given a disquisi-
tion on sharks extending to nearly two pages, and the
following extract shows that human nature was very much
the same then as now :
" The Commissioners of forfeited estates were at considerable ex-
pence in encouraging this species of fishing ; but the person they con-
fided in most shamefully abused their goodness, so at present it is only
attempted by private adventurers '^ (p. 170).
There is a comfortable inn at Loch Ranza, and if the
pedestrian be wise he will, after his long day, stop there, and
* On the east side of Glen Catacol, just north of Gleann Diomhan,
is the Eagle's Crag, on which are some probably unclimbed gullies.
XLIII. C
34 T^A^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
not emulate the writer, who, on a dark September night
which effectually and completely hid both the road and his
own body, dragged himself on to Brodick (13 miles), and
eventually reached his destination just before midnight,
having thoroughly made up his mind en route that he was
one of the biggest fools he had ever come across.
Cock of Arran.
»
Assuming the night is spent at Loch Ranza, the Cock
of Arran may be taken on the homeward journey next
day.
'^ The Cock is not, as I expected, a headland, but merely an enormous
mass of sandstone lying loose upon the shore, having a fancied resem-
blance to the head of the cock ** (Jameson, p. 76).
" When seen in front from the sea, the block had the form of a
cock, with expanded wings, in the act of crowing. The resemblanoe
is now less striking, as the head has been broken off'' (Bryce, 129).
From Loch Ranza a lane and track lead you via North
Newton farm down to the shore again at another farm-
house from whence it is one mile to the Cock, and two miles
to Cock farm. It is extremely rough walking along the shore,
and to clamber along the heather cliffs is not much better,
but if the walker perseveres till he reach Cock farm, he can
then follow an old road west, striking the main road some
two miles from Loch Ranza, or from the highest point of the
old road he can strike over the moors to the summit of the
main road to Corrie.
Arran, South.
To complete this rough survey of Arran, the southern
portion of the island must just be mentioned.
The coast scenery is always interesting and sometimes
bold — in fact, a walk round the island (55 J miles according
to the milestone at Brodick Castle) cannot be too highly
recommended ; and nature seems to have specially provided
for it by having made for many miles a raised beach, along
which the road is carried. I understand the correct thing
is to roll off the circuit in thirteen hours.
The southern uplands of an average height of 1,000
Arran, 35
feet give no climbing, but pleasant breezy walks can be had
over them, and they afford fine land and sea scapes. With
the aid of a map, the walker can easily select his own routes,
and I will therefore only mention two. On the O.S. one-inch
map a double-lined highway is seen to exist from Mona-
more Mill, to the south of the island near High Kilmory.
The Monamore burn is crossed at a shallow ford, and soon
after the highway ceases, and very scanty traces will be
found of it till within a mile of the farm of Aucharcoch, from
whence onwards there is a respectable lane. The route
passes close to Urie Loch, surmounting the 1,000 foot con-
tour. The walk is an enjoyable one, and is practically
trackless.
The second tramp I would mention starts from Shedog
up the north side of Clauchan Glen by a ruined church.
Follow the burn to the top of the glen, about 1,500 feet ;
then descend into Gleann Dubh, keeping the left bank.
Bruce's Castle will be noticed on the right, nearly a mile
south-west from the junction of the burn coming down
Glen Ormidale with that from Gleann Dubh. After the junc-
tion of these burns. Glen Cloy is entered, and the burnside
should be kept as closely as possible right down to the sea :
avoid the road down the centre of the glen.
" Thee much I love . . . because
Pve oft explored thy glens and tangled brakes
• •••••••
• •••••••
Thee much I love, because I've often climbed
Thy mountains brown, and scaled their towering peaks "
(Landsborough, p. 15).
Note, — The editions of the books referred to in the above article
are those mentioned in Appendix C.
F. S. GOGGS.
Appendix A.
Descent into Glen Sannox from the " Saddle'^
Proceeding up Glen Rosa, the burn must be kept on your
right till you are within a quarter of a mile (s mins.) of the
I /XT'
36 Tke Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
" Saddle," or pass separating the two glens, when cross the
bum and make for the lowest point on the pass. Do not
attempt to make a descent direct from this point, but take
a path to the left running along the crest of the pass some
one hundred and fifty yards, then descend sharply to your
right over loose turf and stone. After descending some
fifty feet, you will see on your left a wall of rock, at the base
of which runs a dyke, with the usual stair-like rock steps.
Go down this dyke, and then the bed of a bum and the
path intertwine and change into each other amid heather
and rock, till the main burn in Glen Sannox is reached.
When close to the main burn the path passes through some
marshy ground, where it is almost lost, and finally crosses
the burn over huge slabs, some one hundred yards past a
big granite block with moss and heather on its summit,
pitched on the bank of the burn, some two yards to the left
of the path. After crossing the path, keep the left bank till
within half a mile of the main road.
Ascent to the Saddle from Glen Sannox.
Coming from Sannox cross the burn by the bridge some
half a mile from the main road, after which keep the stream
on your left till the Castles on your right are fully in view,
and the stream runs over huge flat slabs of granite stretching
right across it ; then take to the right bank of the burn.
The path now runs parallel to the stream for some two
hundred and fifty yards through some very marshy ground,
then the burn bends away to the right, and the path, at
times the bed of a trickling waterflow, and never quite
separated from it, goes twisting up to the left corner of
what looks like a huge rocky triangle when viewed from the
glen. At the corner go to the right iip a trap dyke with
rock wall on your right ; a rough scramble, and you are on
the Saddle. Go straight on down Glen Rosa, or, to reach
the lowest point on the Saddle, turn to the left along a
track which is obvious.
The exact place where the path crosses the stream at
the top of Glen Sannox is not easily found; but if the
Arran. 37
walker, when he comes to the second slabby section of the
river bed, looks on the other side of the burn (the right
bank), he will see a little higher up a fair-sized boulder
(say eight feet wide and rather less in height) with heather
and grass growing on the top, and a grass-lined crack across
the sloping face. The path runs two yards to the south of
this boulder, and will be found roughly to follow a line
drawn from it to the left corner of the rock triangle referred
to above. The compass direction from the rock is south-
west. In both Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox the path
IS not easy to find at places; but when in doubt, or
when the path is momentarily lost, a safe rule is to keep to
the side of the burn, and in a few yards the track will be
doubtless hit off again.
Ascent of Cir Mhorfrom the Saddle, .
Standing on the Saddle and facing Cir Mhor, three
gullies will be noticed. One comes down practically on
the summit of the Saddle, a more open gully (a water-course
is perhaps a better term for it) is seen to the left, and a
third gully to the left again. This third gully will be
found the easiest and most direct route to the summit of
Cir Mhor. It is, in fact, a natural staircase, one of the trap
dykes so common in the district.
Appendix B.
A Few Times and Distances,
Brodick Pier to Brodick Post Office - - - i mile.
„ „ Come Hotel - - - - Si miles.
(Taking the footbridge across the Rosie Bum, if the
main road be kept, \ mile longer.)
Brodick Post Office to entrance to Goatfell track at the
Castle stables (wVi footbridge) - - - if »
Corrie Hotel to where the Glen Sannox path strikes the
main road - - - - - - li »
Circuit of the island - - - - - 55i »
Main road at Brodick Castle stables to
summit of Goatfell by ordinary route i hr. 25 mins. to 2i hours.
Same, descent - - - I hrs. „ ij „
BrodickP.O. toGarbh Allt(approx.3imls.) 4omins. „ i „
„ „ Beinn Nuis by Garbh Allt 2 hrs. „ 2J „
Same, descent - * ^i hrs. „ 2 „
38 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
n
n
»
>»
»
)>
Brodick P.O. to lowest point between Beinn
Tarsuinn and A' Chir
lowest point between Cir
Mhor and A' Chir -
the Saddle
Same, descent -
Sannox (highroad) via the
Glens -
The Saddle to summit of Goatfell
„ „ Cir Mhor
Corrie (msun road at White Water) to
summit of Goatfell - - -
Same, descent - - -
Glen Sannox (main road) to foot of Cir
Mhor gullies - - - -
Beinn Nuis to summit of " String " road -
Entrance to Glen Sannox, summit of Glen
Chalmadale road, Loch na Davie,
Loch Tanna, Beinn Bhreac ridge,
overlooking Loch Coirein Lochain,
Glen Catacol to Catacol
Brodick P.O., col between Cir Mhor and
A* Chir, Loch Tanna, Beinn Bhreac,
Beinn Bharrain, Dougrie, Machrie
farm, String road, to Brodick P.O. -
2 hrs.
to 2^1
bours
2i hrs.
n
28
2 hrs.
n
2i
lihrs.
j>
2
2| hrs.
M
4l
I hr.
n
il
40 min.
»
I
lihrs.
»
If
ihr.
»
li
i^hrs.
j>
2
lihrs.
i»
li
6i hrs.
« 7i
!•
10 hrs.
n
12
>>
Appendix C.
List of Books ^ &*c., on Arran.
"Scotland before 1700," ed. by P. Hume Brown.
John of Fordun (1380), p. 13.
Hector Boece (1527), p. 87.
Donald Monro (1549X p. 239.
Bishop Leslie (1578), p. 151.
Wm. Lithgow (1628), pp. 295, 296.
"Description of the Western Isles of Scotland," by Donald
Monro, 1549. Reprint, 1884.
" Blaeu's Atlas," Amsterdam, 1654. Surveyed by Timothy Pont
about 1608.
"A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland," by M. Martin
(Second Edition), 17 16.
"A Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain," by Defoe,
4 vols., 1742 ; vol. iv., pp. 258, 259.
"A Tour in Scotland, 1769," by Thos. Pennant (Third Edition,
1 774).
"Scotland Delineated ... for the use of young persons" (1791).
Arrdn. 39
" Mineralogy of the Scottish Isles," &c. &c, by Robert Jameson,
1800, 2 vols.
" View of the Mineralogy, Agricultnre, Manufactures, and Fisheries
of the Island of Arran," &c. &g., by Rev. James Headrick (1807).
"The New Picture of Scotland" (1807), 2 vols.
The Scots Magazine —
" Remarks made in a Tour to Arran during May and June
1807," by John Fleming, Bathgate, i6th January 1808.
Vol. 69 (1807), pp. 729-733, 821-825, 897-900; vol. 70 (1808),
PP- 19-23, 95-99.
" A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, including the
Isle of Man," by John Macculloch, M.D. (1819), 3 vols. (Geological).
"The Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland," by John
Macculloch, M.D., 4 vols. (1824).
"The Scottish Tourist's Steam-boat Pocket Guide" (1835).
" Sketches of the Coasts and Islands of Scotland and of the Isle of
Man," by Lord Teignmouth (1836), 2 vols.
"Excursions through the Highlands and Isles of Scotland in 1835
and 1836," by Rev. C. Lesingham Smith (1837).
" The Geology of the Island of Arran from Original Survey," by
A. C. Ramsay (1841).
" Arran : a Poem in six Cantos and Excursions to Arran," &c., by
Rev. David Landsborough (1847).
"Autumnal Rambles among the Scottish Mountains,'' by Rev.
Thomas Grierson, A.M. (1850).
"Circuit Journeys," by the late Lord Cockbum (1889). (Lord
Cockburn was in Arran in 1842.)
"The Geology of Arran," &c., by James Bryce, M.A., Fourth
Edition, 1872 (First Edition, 1855).
"Days at the Coast," &c., by Hugh Macdonald, 1874 (First
Edition, 1857).
Scotsman, 25th April to ist May 1872. Articles by Alexander
Nicolson entitled, "A Geological Excursion in Arran."
"The Antiquities of Arran," -ficc, by John M*Arthur (Second
Edition, 1873).
"Notes of Holidays in Arran," The Edinburgh Courant, 17th
August 1876, by J. M. Gray (Reprinted in "John Miller Gray, Memoir
and Remains," 1895).
" Fifty Sonnets," by Cuthbert E. Tyrer (1888). ■* '
" Studies of Nature on the Coast of Arran," by George Milner (1894).
"The Clyde from the Source to the Sea," by W. J. Millar.
"Place-Names of Scotland," by Rev. J. B. Johnston (Second
Edition, 1903).
" Memoirs of the Geological Survey : The Geology of North Arran,"
&c., 1903.
(This Memoir contains a very full biblios^raphy of publications
relating: to the s^eology of Arran, pp. xSx-xga)
40 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal —
"The Glcn Sannox Hills," by T. Fraser S. CampbelL VoL I.,
pp. 31-36.
'' Cir Mhor from Glen SannQx," by W. W. Naismith. VoL II.,
pp. 17-24. -
"A' Chir," by T. Fraser S. CampbelL VoL 11., pp. 75-81.
«* A Night on A' Chir," by W. W. Naismith. VoL II., p. 139-
''Cir Mhor to Beinn Nuis," by Gilbert Thomson. VoL III.,
p. 108.
"The Granite Peaks of Arran,'' by W. Douglas. VoL III.,
pp. 195-21 1.
**Cir Mhor," by Gilbert Thomson. VoL III., pp. 212-217.
"A Variation on Cir Mhor (Bell's GrooveX" by J. H. Bell.
VoL III., pp. 347,348.
** On Boulders," by T. Fraser S. CampbelL VoL IV., pp. 52-56.
" Ben Nuis Precipice." VoL IV., p. 63.
« Cir Mhor Face— New Route— B and C Gullies." VoL IV.,
pp. 63, 64.
" Scottish Mountains " {.weathering of Arran granite\ by Sir
A. Geikie. VoL IV., pp. 117-119.
" Cioch na h' Oighe and Cir Mhor : Variations," by W. W.
Naismith. VoL IV., pp. 173, 174.
" Cir Mhor," by J. H. BeU (short note). Vol. IV., p. 247.
" A Day on Cir Mhor," by W. Inglis Clark. VoL V., Rp. 29-36.
" The Rosa Pinnacle of Cir Mhor," by W. Inglis Clark. VoL
v., pp. 143, 144.
" A Wet Day on the Arran Hills," by James Maday. VoL VI.,
pp. 49-51.
" Ben Nuis Chimney," by Lehmann J. Oppenheimer. VoL VII.,
pp. 1-9.
"Arran in September," by G. Bennett Gibbs. VoL VII., pp.
50.52.
" Chimney on Chleibhein, * A' Gully, Cir Mhor," by H. Raebum.
VoL VIL, pp. 1 1 3- 1 1 5.
" Cir Mhor, ' B ' Gully." VoL VIII., p. 82.
Cairngorm Club Journal—
" Observations from fifty Scottish Mountains," July 1894. VoL
I., No. 3, p. 169.
(Giving the bearings in degrees of hills seen from summit of
GoatfelL)
Climber^ Club Journal^ June 1901 —
"The Hills of Arran," by Edred M. Comer. VoL III., No. 12,
pp. 169-175.
S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
» 4>» <
THE EASTERN CAIRNGORMS.
(Division II. Group V.)
Lat. 57" 5'; W. Lon. 3° 30'. Ordnance Survey Map, one-
inch scale, Sheets 74, 75, 64, 65. Bartholomew's Reduced
Ordnance Map, No. 16.
PAGE
Beinn Avon, 3,843 feet ----- 42
Meal! na Gaineimh (The Sandy Hill), 2,989.
Big Brae, 3,000 feet contour.
Stuc Garbh Mh6r(The Great Rough Stack), 3,625 feet.
Cam Eas (Cairn of the Waterfall), 3,556 feet.
Creag na Dala (Crag of the Valleys), 3,189 feet.
Beinn a* Bhuird (Broad Mountain), N. Top 3,924 feet,
S. Top 3,860 feet ----- 47
Cnap a' Chleirich (The Priest's Hillock), 3,811 feet.
Stob an t* Sluichd (Peak of the Ravine), 3,621 feet.
Beinn Bhreac (Spotted Mountain), 3,051 feet.
Caiplich, 3,573 feet ----- 48
Beinn Bynac, 3,296 feet ----- 48
Papers relating to the District.
** Beinn a' Bhuird, Ascent of," by Francis J. Dewar. S.M.C,/,^
Vol. I., p. 315.
" Ben Avon," by Professor Heddle. S.M.C J,^ Vol. II., p. 225.
"Eastern Cairngorms, Notes on," by C. B. Phillip. S.M.C J.^
Vol. I., p. 174.
" Ben Avon, Ascent of," by W. Tough. S.M.C.J.^ Vol. II., p. 273.
" In Ptarmigan Landi" by Lionel Hinxman. S.M.C.J.y Vol. IV.,
p. 214.
"The Eastern Cairngorms," by Alex. I. M'Connochie. Caimgorm
Club Journal^ Vol. I., p. 236.
"A Week-end in Glen Gaim," by Wm. Skea. C.C./., Vol. II.,
p. 321.
Less well known than the Central Group, and yielding
in impressiveness to the scenes of savage grandeur that
surround Loch Avon and the headwaters of the Dee,
42 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the Eastern Cairngorms yet present many points of
interest, and exhibit in great perfection some of the char-
acteristic features of granite mountain-scenery.
Beinn Avon, Beinn a' Bhuird, and Beinn a* Chaoruinn,
with their subsidiary tops and dependencies, form integral
portions of that part of the great Cairngorm plateau which
extends eastwards from the Learg an Laoigh and Glen
Derry, and are separated from one another by compara-
tively slight depressions of the central ridge or water-
shed.
Caiplich and Ben Bynac form a more isolated group,
being cut off from the main mass by the deep valleys of
Glen Nethy and Glen Avon.
Beinn Avon. — This mountain-mass may be defined as
that part of the range which lies between the Avon on the
north, the Gairn on the south and south-east, Glen Builg
on the east, and Allt an Sluichd and the Quoich on the
west.
Meall na Gaineimh and the Big Brae, the eastern ram-
parts of Beinn Avon, rise steeply from Glen Builg and the
shores of Loch Builg, but are on that side comparatively
featureless, and covered with coarse sand due to the dis-
integration of the granite.
On the north-west face of the Big Brae rise the fine crags
of East and West Meur Gorm, the latter forming a sharply-
serrated ridge between the Meur Gorm (blue finger) burn
and the deep corrie in which lies Lochan nan Gabhar (loch
of the goats), a typical alpine tarn, whose clear green
waters reflect the snow-streaked precipices that overhang
its southern shores.
Three-quarters of a mile farther west, another range of
granite crags falls from Stob Dubh Bruach na Fhuarain
(black peak of the hillside of the springs) into the depths
of Slochd an Araich. A peculiar vein of white quartz
and greenish felspar is conspicuous amongst the red granite
rocks in this corrie, and can be traced north-north-east
for nearly two miles to the top of Da Dhruim Lom.
From Sron na h' lolaire (nose of the eagle), the western
arm of this corrie, a more or less continuous line of pre-
cipitous crags and scree slopes extends southwards to the
The Eastern Cairngorms, 43
Garbh Coire, which forms the head of the Slochd Mhor
(great ravine). This deep and rocky glen, which divides
Beinn Avon from Stob an t' Sluichd, the northern spar of
Beinn a* Bhuird, is one of the finest defiles in the Cairn-
gorm range. The valley expands considerably towards its
mouth, and its floor is covered with a mass of terraced
morainic material, which has been cut and dressed by the
streams into forms resembling huge railway embankments.
Stuc Garbh Mh6r, Carn Eas, and Creag na Dala, the
subsidiary eminences south of the main watershed, present
no particular points of interest With tops generally
smooth and rounded, and covered with alpine sedge or
granite debris, they fall in long scree or sand-covered
slopes to the lonely valley of the Upper Gairn. The burns
which drain these southern slopes flow in parts of their
course through deep rock gullies with waterfalls, and near
the head of the Allt an Eas Mhoir (big burn of the water-
falls) can still be seen the pits of the old cairngorm-
diggers.
The most striking feature of Beinn Avon are the " tors "
or castellated rock-masses — weathered - out portions of
harder granite — which rise in many places above the sandy
plateau, and form the summit-peak of the mountain. No
one who has climbed Beinn Avon will have failed to notice
the smooth circular basins of varying depth and size upon
the surfaces of many of these tors. These curious " wind
pot-holes " have been produced by the whirling round of
rainwater and loose grains of quartz by the furious gusts
that eddy amongst the hollows of the wind-swept plateau.
They are well described by Professer Heddle in his paper
on Ben Avon.*
One of the largest of these " tors " is the Clach Bun
Ruadhtair (2,994), which rises on the west side of the Caol
Ghleann, about half a mile west-north-west from Lochan
nan Gabhar. It is formed of three immense masses of
smooth slabby granite, of which the central one must be
at least eighty feet in height. There is, as far as I am
aware, no record of an ascent of this tor, but it will
♦ " Ben Avon," by Prof. Heddle, S.M.CJ., Vol. II., p. 225.
44 The Scottish Mountaintering Club Journal.
possibly go on the west side, and would afford a fine
climb.
Routes. — Beinn Avon can be approached either from
Strathspey on the north, or from Deeside on the south,
with almost equal facility.
Route 1. — For the former routes, Tomintoul, sixteen
miles from Ballindalloch on the G.N.S. Railway (daily
mail-car), is the most convenient starting-point. But a
few years ago a miserable collection of broken-windowed
hovels, Tomintoul has rapidly developed into a favourite
summer resort, with many well-built houses and a good
hotel — " The Richmond Arms."
A pleasant drive of eight miles up the valley of the Avon
through the hanging birch woods of Delavorar and Torbain,
and along the green river haughs beneath the grey lime-
stone cliffs of the Foal's Crag, brings one to the old-fashioned
white-harled lodge of Inchrory, which stands at the entrance
to Glen Avon, where the river bends suddenly to the west
Here the public driving road ends, the cart road to the left
leads up to the keeper's house at Lagganauld, and the
forest path follows the river up the glen, the right-of-way
path through Glen Builg to Glen Gairn turning off on the
left at the foot of the Builg bum a short way above the
lodge.
The forest path passes the Linn of Avon and follows
the south side of the river for two miles to the Glen Loin
bridge, where it crosses to the north side of the stream,
and continues on that side up to the Learg na Laoigh.
In addition to the bridges at Inchrory and Glen Loin,
there are (usually) three higher up the glen — at the Stochd
Mh6r, four miles ; at Poll Ghuisachan, five and three-quarter
miles; and at Corrie na Clach, ten miles from Inchrory.
The number of these higher bridges is, however, a vari-
able quantity, as they are apt to disappear in the heavy
winter and spring spates. In their absence, care should be
taken tn fording the river, as the current is very swift, and
the clear green water proverbially deceptive as to depth.
To return to Beinn Avon. The most direct route to
the top is \s^ the path which turns off to the left half-way
between Inchrory bridge and the Linn of Avon, The
The Eastern Caimgortns, 45
track ascends steeply through Coire Clais na Fead, and
then leads south and south-west over the sandy tops of
Little and Big Meall na Gaineimh to the Big Brae, passing
Clach Bhan and other tors on which the " wind pot-holes "
are particularly well developed.
From the Big Brae the climber, leaving the Meur Gorm
Craigs on his right, steers west-south-west over Mullach
Lochan nan Gabhar to the sky-line at the point marked
3,608 feet on the O.S., and following the watershed half a
mile farther in a west-south-west direction, reaches the tor
on which is the summit cairn (3,843) of Ben Avon.
The descent may be varied in several ways. An easy
route follows the watershed eastwards to the head of the
path which leads down to Loch Builg Cottage, and thence
by the loch and through Glen Builg to Inchrory. For a
more interesting route strike northward across the summit
plateau, and down through the rocks on the west side of
the Sron na h' lolaire into the Slochd Mhor, crossing the
river by the Slochd bridge to the Glen Avon forest path.
This is a fine walk, but involves some scrambling.
Route 2. — From Ballater thirteen and a half miles of
fair driving or cycling road up Glen Gairn to Loch Builg
Cottage, at the south end of Loch Builg.
This loch, whose clear waters hold abundance of trout
and char, is remarkable from its position across the water-
shed between Spey and Dee, and for the fact that it drains
at both ends ; its waters, when full, escaping northwards
into Glen Builg and the Avon, while there is underground
communication at the southern end through a chain of
small lochans into the Gairn. From Loch Builg Cottage
a path turns left up Glen Gairn, and then obliquely up
the hillside, reaching the summit ridge near the head of
the Feith an Laoigh.
Route 3. — From Crathie (distance just over ten miles).
The Ballater- Braemar road is left seven and three-quarter
miles west of Ballater, just east of Crathie Cottage. A
signpost will be observed giving distances to Loch Builg,
Shiel, &c. At first, the road passes beneath shady
by the side of the Crathie Bum, and steadily rising
i?C E mile or so the somewhat straggling clachan of Bridg-
46 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
end of Bush is passed, whence, looking back, magnificent
views of Lochnagar and its corries may be obtained.
Beyond the clachan the road is left, and we turn sharply
to left by an indifferent moss-road, rejoining the Crathie
Burn on its left bank — now a bare tarn. The burn is fol-
lowed for nearly three miles to its source, and a quarter of
a mile farther north the Duchrie Burn is reached, which
gathers its waters in the Moss of Monaltrie and flows to
join the Gairn. Here we are in the midst of a desolation
of peat-haggs, but all around the view is extensive and
varied — northwards, the " Brown Cow," with Corndavon
Lodge nestling on its southern slopes in a clump of pines ;
eastwards, Morven and its satellites ; southwards, the ever-
varying cone of Lochnagar ; and lastly, to the west and
north, Beinn a' Bhuird and Beinn Avon stretching their
extensive masses beyond the deep upper valley of the
Gairn. The Duchrie Burn is then followed westwards to
its springs, just east of the Aberarder-Loch Builg road,
which is crossed (this road can, of course, be taken to Loch
Builg Cottage, some three miles distant, and thence by
Route 2), and the route is still continued west between the
Culardoch (2,953 feet) and the Little Culardoch (2,250 feet)
till the AUt Coire na Cloiche is reached, which is followed
down to its junction with the Gairn, which is forded here,
and its left bank is followed eastwards a few yards till,
opposite an old sheepfold, we join its left-hand tributary,
the Allt Phouple, which we follow, and from which the
Loch Builg Cottage path is joined, and so the summit is
gained vid Route 2.
Route 4. — From Inver Inn (distance, about ten miles).
Inver Inn is situated on the Ballater-Braemar road, nine
and a half miles from Ballater. The route taken is by
Aberarder road, passing the farm of Ratlich (two miles),
and thence joining road which leads to Loch Builg, which
may be left at point referred to in Route 3, or followed to
Loch Builg, and so to summit, as in Route 2.
Route 5.-7— From Braemar by the driving road over the
hill from Aberarder near hiver (inn), into Glen Gairn at
Loch Builg, and to the summit as in Route 2 ; or the Gairn
can be followed west as far as the Allt an Eas Mhor, and
The Eastern Cairngorms, 47
the ascent of Stuc Garbh Mhor made by taking up this
burn to the end of this track, and then turning to the right
up the hillside.
Beinn a' Bhuird.— For the most part a featureless
and somewhat uninteresting mountain, the glory of Beinn
a' Bhuird are the twin corries — Corrie nan Clach and Coire
an Dubh Lochain — that scarp its eastern face. A narrow
rocky spur divides the two corries, whose encircling walls
of jointed granite afford the climbers many interesting
problems of varying degrees of difficulty. At the foot of
the precipices of the southern corrie lies the Dubh Lochan,
the source of one of the headwaters of the Quoich.
The smooth sandy plateau that forms the summit, falls
little more than two hundred feet in the two miles that
separate the north (3,924) and south (3,860) tops ; but that
part of the mountain that extends northwards across the
watershed into Banffshire has more character, and culmin-
ates in the bold rocky crest of Stob an t' Sluichd (3,62 1 ), that
falls eastwards in the steep cliffs of Carn nam Mult into
Slochd Mh6r.
Braemar is the centre for Beinn a' Bhuird. The princi-
pal routes to the eastern corries and south top are —
(i.) Cross the Dee at the castle, and follow the path
through Gleann an f Slugain, past Ciach Lodge to the
Quoich, and then left, up the ridge to the south top (seven
and a half miles).
(2.) Cross the Victoria Bridge at Mar Lodge, and join
the hill road behind the Lodge, leading up by the right
bank of the Quoich Water, leaving the road at the point
marked (2,090 feet) on the one-inch map and making a
straight line for the south top. About half-way between
the point where the road is left and the summit, a very fine
cold well is passed, which is very welcome on a hot day
as one toils up the steep southern slope of the mountain
(distance from Braemar by this route about ten miles) ;
and,
(3.) From Derry Lodge, Beinn a* Bhuird may be reached
by a very interesting route, which has the advantage of
being shorter than the others above referred to. From the
Lodge follow the turns of Dee Road for a little over a mile.
48 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
then turn to the left, following the course of a stream which
flows over the road, but which in summer is practically dry.
At an altitude of 1,750 turn to the right, leaving the stream
on the left, and follow up the hillside to the sky-line and
descend, when very shortly a stream is met which joins the
Quoich. This stream is followed, and the road of Route 2
is joined at a point about three miles from Mar Lodge, and
from here Route 3 is followed to the top.
Caiplich and Beinn Bynac. — There appears to be
some confusion between these two names, which seem ta
be applied to the same mountain according as it is viewed
from Speyside or from Glen Avon. On the six-inch O.S^
Caiplich is the name given to the Inverness-shire or north
end of the ridge, which is also the highest point (3,573);
Beinn Bynac to the south or Banffshire end (3,296).
The summit ridge is in parts rough, and covered with
granite blocks. A short distance down the eastern slope
of Bynac rise the huge castle-like masses known as the
Barns of Bynac, while the Little Barns of Bynac are the
smaller tors along the southern part of the ridge. This
somewhat inaccessible mountain is best approached from
Nethy Bridge on Speyside (Station G.N.S. Railway Hotel,
good).
A beautiful drive of seven miles through the Abernethy
Forest leads to Rebhoan, whence turn left to the bridge
over the Nethy, cross, and follow the path up the hill —
the Learg an Laoigh — for about two and a half miles, and
then take up the hillside on the right to the sky-line of
Caiplich.
For another but more difficult route, instead of crossing
the bridge, follow the Nethy for two and a half miles to the
Allt a' Choire Deirg, a steep burn which falls from the ridge
of Bynac, through a deep and rocky ravine, and the ascent
of which involves a fair amount of climbing near the top.
Bynac can also be reached by way of Glen Avon from
Inchrory (twelve miles), or direct from Tomintoul by
Delnabo, past the fine gorge of the Ailnack, and up the
Water of Caiplich.
L. W. H. AND W. G.
The Lochnagar Group. 49
THE LOCHNAGAR GROUP.
(Division H., Group VI.)
Lat 56" 57' ; W. Lon. 3" 14'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 65. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Survey Map, Sheet 16.
PAGE
I. Preliminary ------ 50
II. The Routes to Lochnagar and the .Broad
Cairn Range ----- 53
A, Lochnagar — v
1. The Glen Muick Roads - - - - 53
2. The Alltnaguibhsaich Path . - . 53
3. Ascent by the Black Spout - - - 55
4. Ascent by the Glas Allt - - - - 55
5. Ascent from the Dubh Loch - - - 56
6. Ascents from Clova via Glen Doll and the
Capel Mounth . - . - 56
7. Ascents from* Crathie - - - - 56
8. Ascents from Braemar - - - - 58
B. The Broad Caim Range —
1. Ascent from the Dubh Loch . - - 58
2. Ascents from Clova - - - - 58
3. Ascent from Spital of Muick - - - 59
III. The Tops ..---- 59
A, Lochnagar —
1. Cac Cam Beag (3,786 feet) ... 59
2. Cac Cam Mor (3,768 feet) - - . 60
3. Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe (3,191 feet)- - 60
4. Meiklc Pap (3,210 feet) - - - - 60
5. Cuidhe Crom (3,552 feet) - - - 61
6. Little Pap (c, 3,000 feet) - - - - 61
7. Creag a' Ghlas-uillt (3,450 feet) - - - 61
8. Cam a' Choire Bhoidheach (3,630 feet) - - 61
9. CaimofCorbreach (3,571 feet) - - - 61
10, Caim an t' Sagairt Mor (3,430 feet) - - 61
11. Caim an t' Sagairt Beag (3,424 feet) - - 62
B, The Broad Caim Range—
I. Broad Caim (3,268 feet) - - - - 62
« 2. Caim Bannoch (3,314 feet) ... 62
3. Creag an Dubh Loch (3,100 feet) - - 62
4. Fafemie (3,274 feet) - . - . 63
XLIII. D
The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
5. Creag Leachdach (c. 3,000 feet)
63
6. Cairn of Gowal {3,219 feet)
63
7. Craig of Gowal (3,027 feet)
63
8. Crow Craigies (c. 3,000 feet)
63
Minor Summits
63
The Climbs
64
1. The Douglas Gully
65
2. The Tough-Brown Ridge
67
3, The Raeburn Gully
68
4. The Black Spout Pinnacle
68
5. The Black Spout and its side Gully
69
6. West Gully Climb
69
Lochs and Streams -
70
I. Preliminary.
It will be seen from the foregoinglistsof peaks, that it is
posed to include in this section not merely Lochnagar
per, with its complement of eleven separate tops, but
> the adjacent, though distinct range, of which Broad
rn. Cairn Bannoch, and Fafernie are the principal emin-
es. The district thus embraced, forms an almost equi-
ral triangle, of which one angle is at Ballater, another at
emar, and the third is at the junction of Glen Doll and
n Clova. One side of this triangle is the Dee, another
he Capel Mounth path and the Muick, while the third
>rmed partly by the Clunie and its tributary from Loch
later, and partly by the White Water. Lochnagar is
illy in the county of Aberdeen, and the Broad Cairn
ge is partly in that county and partly in the county of
■far. The cairns of five summits of the range. Broad
rn, Cairn of Gowal, Cairn Bannoch, Fafernie, and Knaps
Fafernie, are on the county march, two of the leading
s, Craig of Gowal and Crow Craigies, are entirely in
■farshire.
The mountain mass which is to be described in this
cle, has many notable characteristics. Lochnagar itself
been described by Sir Archibald Geikie,* as "a broad
lulating moorland, upwards of a mile and a half long,
tly sloping southward to Loch Muick, and ending in the
• " The Scenery of Scotland,'' p, 195.
LOCHNAUAR.
The Lochnagar Group, 51
north at the edge of a range of granite precipices." Part
of these precipices forms the great north-east corrie of the
mountain, one of the finest climbing grounds in Scotland.
About a mile to the west of the great corrie, and over-
hanging Lochan an Eoin, is another corrie facing the north,
the cliffs of which, over five hundred feet in height, are still
virgin ground to the climber, as also are the crags of the
Dubh Loch, which lies deep and almost hidden between
Lochnagar and Broad Cairn. The culminating peak of
the whole mass is the Cac Cam Beag of Lochnagar.
Twenty of our Scottish mountains exceed Lochnagar
in height, but very few of them have finer features than the
lone Dubh Loch or the " steep frowning glories " of the
great north-east corrie. None, it may be safely said, has a
greater wealth of interesting associations. The lofty
peaked outline of the Cac Carn Beag, as seen from Dee-
side, is one of the most familiar of Scottish mountain
scenes. It forms the appropriate background of one of
John Phillip's best known pictures — his fine portrait of
the Prince Consort. Three etchings of the mountain are
included in Fennell Robson's " Scenery of the Grampian
Mountains," and that artist's opinion is that " as a pictur-
esque object, few mountains in the Grampian range are
more interesting." * In recent days, the royal residence of
Balmoral, and the frequent references to Lochnagar, in the
late Queen's " Leaves from the Journal of our Life in the
Highlands," have gathered fresh interests round the moun-
tain. But it is, of course, the genius of Byron that has
made "Dark Lochnagar" really famous. He has cele-
brated the mountain, not merely in poetry, but also in
prose, as "one of the most sublime and picturesque among
the 'Caledonian Alps.'" Much of the poet's boyhood was
spent at Ballaterach, a farm about three miles from
Ballater.
The name, Lochnagar, is a peculiar one for a mountain,
and, like the name " The Cairngorm Mountains," it seems
to have come into vogue as a mountain name only in
comparatively modern times. The name properly belongs
♦ «
Scenery of the Grampian Mountains,'' No. 31.
52 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
to the small loch which lies under the crags of the great
corrie. In the oldest map of the district — the map of the
counties of Aberdeen and Banff, by Robert Gordon of
Straloch, which appears in Blaeu's Atlas (published in
1654) — this loch is named "L. Garr." An eminence near
the loch is, in the same map, named " Ben Chichnes,"
and this appears to be the first instance of the now dis-
used name of "The Benchinnans," a name which was
strictly applicable to the range of Lochnagar which, in-
cluding the Meikle Pap and the Little Pap, extends from
the summit southwards towards Loch Muick.* The
meaning of the word "Lochnagar" is doubtful. It has
been variously interpreted by different authorities as
" The Loch of the Goat " and " The Loch of Sobbing and
Wailing." t !n olden times the name given to the
mountain was " The White Mounth," and this still sur-
vives in the name "White Mounts" which, in the Ord-
nance Survey Maps, is applied to the high tableland
of the mountain, which stretches between the edge of
the great corrie and the Dubh Loch.
As already indicated, Lochnagar is composed of granite
which is of a reddish, coarse-grained texture, not unlike
the red rocks of the Cairngorms. The rock has decom-
posed extensively in the corries and precipices of the
mountain, and, in consequence, climbers frequently en-
counter rotten masses. Botanically, the mountain is
extremely rich.J
Another characteristic may be mentioned. Lochnagar
is wholly situated in the royal deer-forest of Balmoral,
but it is, nevertheless, a mountain to which access is
always open. It may be climbed at all seasons from
Ballater, Braemar, or Clova. The Alltn^uibhsaich path
to the summit was, indeed, originally constructed lai^ely
" The Cairngorm Club Journal, vol. ii., p. 36.
+ " Lochnagar," by A. I. M'Connochie, pp. 17, 18.
J For a list of the flowering plants and ferns of Lochnagar, refer-
ence may be made to the chapter od the Botany of the Mountain, by
Mr John Roy, LL.D., included in Mr A. I, M'Connochie's interesting
monograph " Lochnagar," a work to which the present writer has been
much indebted.
The Lochnagar Group, 53
for the benefit of tourists, by the orders and at the ex-
pense of Queen Victoria. Recently it has been greatly
improved at the instance of King Edward.
II. The Routes to Lochnagar and the Broad
Cairn Range.
A. LOCHNAGAR,
I. The Glen Muick Roads.
As a rule the climber from a distance will find that
Ballater, which is distanjt about fourteen miles from the
summit of the mountain, is his most convenient starting-
point. The route from Ballater is by way of Glen Muick,
and there are fair cycling and driving roads up both sides
of the glen. The road on the west side is the better and
more convenient, but pedestrians will find a short cut by
taking the east road for about two miles, and then crossing
to the west side of the Muick at Mill of Sterin. If the
west road is taken all the way, Birkhall is passed about
three miles from Ballater, and shortly thereafter. Mill of
Sterin, after which the road is the private property of His
Majesty. The same royal courtesy, however, to which
climbers are indebted for free access to the mountain, allows
them also a restricted use of this road. It leads close past
the beautiful Linn of Muick (about five miles from Ballater),
and in other two miles the farmhouse of Inschnabobbart,
on the west side of the road, is reached. Here a party of
two or three climbers can always find comfortable ac-
commodation. Little more than a mile beyond Inschna-
bobbart is Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, and just short of the
Lodge, on the near side of the Allt, the path to Lochnagar
leaves the road. When the road on the west side is not
open, conveyances may be driven up the east road as far
as Inschnabobbart ford, or all the way to Spital of Muick,
where there is a foot-bridge, over which a path leads to
Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge.
2. The Alltnaguibhsaich Path.
This path leads first through the fir wood that surrounds
the Lodge, and then, with the burn on the left all the way.
54 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
winds up the gorge of Clashrathen, and along the shoulder
of Conachcraig (2,827) till, after about forty minutes' walk-
ing from the Glen Muick road, a col is reached, on the
other side of which is Glen Gelder, through which the
Gelder flows to the Dee. Up to this point the range of the
Little Pap, the Cuidhe Crom, and the Meikle Pap is in full
view, and is the most prominent object of the landscape,
though in a clear day a glimpse may be got over the
depression between the Meikle Pap and the Cuidhe Crom
of the top of the black crags at the edge of the great corrie.
At the col the path to the summit turns to the left, cross-
ing a pony path which leads from Glasallt Shiel, via the
Glasallt Falls, the east base of the Little Pap and Cuidhe
Crom and Glen Gelder, to Balmoral. After the col, the
mountain path, degenerating in quality, rounds the base of
the Meikle Pap, after which the foot of the " Ladder "' up
the Cuidhe Crom is soon reached. Before the ascent of
the " Ladder " is begun, however, a divergence should be
made to the right, to the saddle between the Cuidhe Crom
and the Meikle Pap. From the saddle the top of the
Meikle Pap may be reached in about ten minutes. Both
from the saddle and from the Pap the view, summer or
winter, is superb. The dark and gloomy loch is at one's
feet, and in front are ** the crags that are wild and majestic "
— most majestic, perhaps, in the dazzling white of their
winter coat. On the right is the well-wooded valley of the
Dee.
The top of the "Ladder" is soon reached, and what
follows is an easy walk along the edge of the corrie. In
about half an hour the cairn of the Cac Carn Mor is
attained, and, in five minutes more, the natural rocky top
of the Cac Carn Beag.
The walk from the top of the " Ladder " is full of
interest. It will be observed in the first place, that the
great corrie is really a double corrie, the westmost division
being by far the finer. There is indeed little climbing in
the east corrie. Its grassy sides are scored with several
well-worn water runs, the most prominent of which is
known as the Red Spout. All of them may be ascended
with comparative ease. The west corrie, on the other hand.
The Lochnagar Group. 55
it will be seen, is all rocks, and as one walks along the
edge, the tops of the climbs that will be described in the
fifth section of this article are passed. Midway between
the Cac Carn Mor and the Cac Carn Beag is the top of
the well-known Black Spout, and, a few yards from the
former of these cairns, there emerge3 a well-known side
gully of that Spout
The descent from the Cac Cam Beag to Alltnaguibh-
saich Lodge may be made with comfort in about an hour
and a half.
3. Ascent by the Black Spout,
This is a favourite ascent of Lochnagar. The foot of
the Spout is best reached by way of the col between the
Meikle Pap and the Cuidhe Crom. From this point one
should work round the upper end of the loch, keeping as
near as possible to the foot of the crags. The ascent of the
Spout Itself, under summer conditions, is perfectly simple —
for the most part, a scramble over rough boulders — and it
may be accomplished in less than half an hour. In winter,
the ascent may present any degree of ease or difficulty.
The steepest angle of the Spout is within a few yards of the
top, where it is about 50° Farther down, the angle is con-
siderably less than 40'.
4. Ascent by the Glas Allt,
To reach the Glas Allt and the Dubh Loch, the Glen
Muick driving road is continued past Alltnaguibhsaich
Lodge. For the most part, the road here runs close to the
north-west shore of Loch Muick, at the far end of which is
the Glasallt Shiel, the farthest out lodge of the Balmoral
Forest Right at the back of the lodge, high up on the
hill slope, are the fine falls of the Glas Allt The pony
path to Balmoral should be taken up the side of the stream,
and past the falls till the Glas Allt ford is reached, and
then, keeping by the stream and its northern branch, the
climber may soon join the path to the summit along the
top of the precipices, which has been already described.
S6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
5. Ascent from the Dubh Loch,
Those who are bound for the Dubh Loch pass the
Glasallt Shiel, from which there is a pony path all the way
to the loch, by the side of a burn, the Allt an Dubh Loch,
which runs from that loch to Loch Muick, and separates
the Broad Cairn range from Lochnagar. The Dubh Loch
lies at an altitude of 2,091 feet. The untried rocks sur-
rounding it should give some sport, and there is a long
gully from the loch up the rocky side of Cairn Bannoch,
which should make a good winter climb. From the upper
end of the Dubh Loch, one may hold almost due north to
the Cac Cam Beag, which lies at a distance of about two
miles, as the crow flies ; but a more interesting way is to
follow the main course of the burn which runs into the
loch to its source on Cam an t' Sagairt Mor, the " Cairn
Taggart" of Bartholomew's map. On the way to the
summit of Caim an t' Sagairt Mor, the Braemar path to
Lochnagar is crossed, and from that summit, one may
pass on to Cam an t* Sagairt Beag, thence to the top of
the unclimbed precipices above Lochan an Eoin, and
then, joining the Braemar path, one will soon reach the
Cac Cam Mor, and then the Cac Cam Beag. From the
top of Cam an t' Sagairt Mor to the Cac Cam Beag is
about an hour's walk.
6. Ascents from Clava via Glen Doll and the Capel Mounth.
For the first of these ascents Glen Clova is followed
to Braedownie, and then the right-of-way track up Glen
Doll is taken as far as near the head of Loch Callater.
A course taken due north from that point brings one,
in about a mile, to the Braemar path. Those taking the
rather roundabout way via the Capel Mounth path, follow
that path all the way to Spital of Muick. The Muick is
there crossed, and the Alltnaguibhsaich path taken to
the summit.
7. Ascents from Crathie.
On the Crathie side, Lochnagar is best approached
from Balmoral or from the Inver Inn, two miles west of
The Lochnagar Group, 57
the Castle. There are, however, at certain seasons, easily
understood difficulties in the way of reaching Lochnagar
from either of these points. From Balmoral, the ascent
is made by way of the pony path up Glen Gelder, which
has been already mentioned. From Inver, the direct route
is up the Glen Gelder path as far as Glen Gelder Shiel,
and over Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe.
8. Ascents from Braemar.
The regulation Braemar route is by way of Glen Clunie
and Glen Callater. The Glen Clunie road (always in
good order) is followed for two miles, and then, turning
to the left at Auchallater, the miserable Glen Callater
road must be taken. It terminates at the Lodge at the
lower end of the loch, three miles from Auchallater. From
the Lodge, a footpath leads upwards in an easterly
direction along the southern face of Creag na Loch for
about a mile. Thereafter its course is north-easterly, and
in about another mile, it begins to round the west and
south sides of Carn an t' Sagairt Mor at a height of
slightly over 3,000 feet. From Cairn an t' Sagairt Mor,
the path leads almost due west to the Cac Carn Mor.
Another good route that may be taken either from
Braemar or Crathie, is through the Ballochbuie Forest
past the falls of the Garbh AUt, and up the Allt Lochan
an Eoin, to the Sandy Loch, the " Lochan an Eoin " of the
O.S. maps. From the loch the Cac Carn Beag may be
reached, either by the western or the easier eastern face
of the mountain. It is interesting to note that this was
practically the route taken by Lord Byron on the occasion,
in 1803, when he climbed the mountain. The following
somewhat naive account of the visit was given, to a
gentleman who is still alive, by the gillie, John Davidson,
who accompanied the poet as guide : " We . . . crossed
the Dee by the old bridge [at Invercauld] and then up
the Glen of the Garawalt (Garbh-allt). His lordship rested
often and looked at the scenery. He was very quiet and
did not often speak to me. When we began to climb the
crags of Loch-an-uan (Eoin) I thought he would not be
58 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
able to scramble up, for he was rather lame, and I offered
to assist him, but he would not have any help from me.
When we got to the top, he sat a long time on the edge
of the rocks, looking about him, but seldom asked me any
questions, and we returned the same way we came up." *
Byron was then about fifteen years of age.
B. THE BROAD CAIRN RANGE.
I. Ascent from the Dubh Loch.
The whole Broad Cairn range may be conveniently
reached from the Dubh Loch path. The Allt an Dubh
Loch must be crossed, and the steep north side of Broad
Cairn ascended ; but when the summit of that mountain is
attained, all the other peaks of the range are within an
easy walk. There is less than a hundred feet between the
heights of the three principal tops — Broad Cairn, Cairn
Bannoch, and Fafernie ; the depressions between them are
barely perceptible, and the going is extraordinarily good.
2. Ascents from Clova.
The Glen road is taken to Braedownie, and then turning
to the right, and keeping the rocky Craig Mellan on the
left, the path that leads by the side of the South Esk to
the ruined shooting-box of Bachnagairn will be followed.
The "paradise of pines" at Bachnagairn, and the fine
waterfall on the Esk, are alone well worth a visit. From
Bachnagairn there is a winding pathway towards the
summit of Broad Cairn, which lies eight miles north-west
of Milton Clova.
Another way is to follow the right-of-way path from
Braedownie up Glen Doll, and strike off to the right at
the steep section of that path, short of the Tolmount, which
is known as " Jock's Road." If a course due north is then
taken. Knaps of Fafernie will be reached in about a mile,
and another mile brings one to Fafernie and Cairn Bannoch.
* " The Records of Invercauld," New Spalding Club, ed. by Rev.
J. G. Michie, p. 389.
The Lochnagar Group. 59
3. Ascent from Spital of Muick.
Broad Cairn is frequently climbed from Spital. A foot-
path is followed, which keeps close to the south side of
Loch Muick as far as the point where the Black Burn joins
the loch, and then, zig-zagging up the corrie of the Black
Bum, the path proceeds round the top of the plateau at the
upper end of the loch, till it joins the path from Bachna-
gairn. The view from the plateau acrpss to the silver
streak of the Glas Allt Falls, is a thing to be remembered by
one who has had the good fortune to see the falls in spate.
III. The Tops.
A, LOCHNAGAR.
I. Cac Cam Beag {i,72t6 feet).
This natural cairn is the peak that forms the character-
istic feature in the distant view of Lochnagar from the
north. From the south the appearance of the mountain
is distinctly disappointing. The peaked ridge is lost, and
all that is seen is the rounded mass of the uplands between
the Dubh Loch and the great corrie.
The view from the Cac Carn Beag is, of course, most
extensive, ranging from the Pentlands on the south to
beyond the Moray Firth on the north. Far away on the
west, Ben Cruachan and Ben Nevis may be distinguished.
Among the lesser heights at a distance that are easily seen
on a clear day, the most noticeable are, on the one hand,
the Fife Lomonds, and, on the other, Bennachie. Nearer
at hand are Morven, and the shapely cone of Mount Keen,
the highest of the lower Deeside hills, with Kerloch and
Mount Battack close beside. The valley of the Dee, near
Balmoral, is also visible, but the Castle is not seen, the
lesser summit of Craig Gowan intercepting the view. But
the great view is that of the Cairngorms. The whole of
that great range from Ben Bhrotain, Cairn Toul, and the
precipices of Braeriach on the left, on past Ben Macdhui
and Cairngorm, to the corries of Beinn a' Bhuird and the
^* bams " of Ben Avon on the right, is spread out in pano-
6o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
ramie outline, and, summer or winter, is always the most
striking feature in the prospect from Lochnagar.
The Cac Cam Beag is nearly six miles due south of
Balmoral, three and a half miles due west of Alltnaguibh-
saich Lodge, and three miles north-west of the Glasallt Shiel.
2. Cac Cam Mor (^,268 feet).
This is the summit which in the O.S. maps is named
"Lochnagar." It is only slightly raised above the sur-
rounding plateau, and is distinguished by an artificial cairn
built over one or two large boulders. It is within a few
yards of the edge of the precipice, and is distant about a
third of a mile nearly due south from the Cac Carn Beag.
3. Meall Coire na Saobkaidhe {pron. Syvie, the kill of the
corrie of the foxes' den, 3,191 feet).
In the one-inch O.S. map, this top is said to be 3,121
feet in height, but the greater height is the correct one.
!t is situated about three-quarters of a mile north of the
Cac Carn Beag. The appropriateness of the name may be
gathered from the fact that one fox-hunter is said to have
killed over eleven hundred foxes in this district in a period
of eleven years. Another reminiscence of these former
inhabitants is to be found in the name of the Fox Cairn
Well, near the foot of the Meikle Pap.*
4. Meikle Pap (^,210 feet).
he isolated position of this summit makes it one of the
prominent of all the Lochnagar tops. It is situated
; head of Glen Gelder, right opposite the great corrie,
:ly a mile due east of the Cac Cam Beag, and is best
ided from the col between it and Cuidhe Crom. An
ibed boulder and cairn on its northern slope mark»
pot where Prince Albert shot his last stag,
he modern name of this top is a translation of the old
:cname"Ciche Mhor."t
* " Lochnagar," by A. I. M'Connachie, p. 80.
t " Lochnagar," by A. L M'Connachie, p. sa
The Lochnagar Group. 6 1
5. Cuidhe Crom {the bent \5now\ wreath^ 3,552^^^/).
Cuidhe Crom is about a mile south of the Meikle Pap,
and its cairn is reached in a few minutes from the top of
the Ladder. Its rounded summit falls away steeply on the
east side, affording splendid glissading ground.
6. Little Pap {c, 1,000 feet).
This is the old ** Ciche Beag," a shapely little top, about
half a mile south-east of the Cuidhe Crom. The descent to
it from the Cuidhe Crom is rather rough.
7. Creag d Ghlas-Uillt (c, 3,450 y5?^/).
This IS an ill-defined top, without a cairn, named only
on the six-inch O.S. maps, and situated between the Glas
Allt and a parallel burn, the Allt an Lochan Buidhe, about
a mile south of the Cac Carn Mor. Its height is not given
in the O.S. maps.
8. Cam ci Choire Bhoidheach {the cairn of the beautiful
corrieSy c. 3,630 feef).
The name of this top is given only on the six-inch O.S.
map, and no map gives its height. It lies immediately to
the south of the Braemar path, about a mile and a half
south-west of the Cac Carn Mor. There is no cairn.
9. Cairn of Corbreach (3,57 1^^^/).
This summit (often called Stuc Eoin) lies close to the
north of the Braemar path, at the top of the crags of the
huge north corrie overlooking Lochan an Eoin (the " Loch
Dubh " of the O.S. maps). It has no cairn, and, viewed
from the south, very little of a summit is visible. The
striking appearance, however, which the roqks at this point
have from the Ballater-Braemar road, makes it well
worthy of being ranked as a separate top.
10. Cam an f Sagairt Mor {the big cairn of the priest ^
ZAiofeet).
Cam an t' Sagairt Mor is two and a half miles south-
62 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
west of the Cac Carn Beag, and is half encircled by the
Braemar path. Its summit is marked by a cairn. The
name is to be found only on the six-inch O.S. maps.
II. Carn an f Sagairt Beag (the little cairn of the priest^
3,424/^^/).
This name also is to be found only on the six-inch O.S.
map. The summit is about half a mile east by north of
Carn an t' Sagairt Mor. There is a dip of nearly three
hundred feet between the two tops.
B, THE BROAD CAIRN RANGE,
I. Broad Cairn (3,268 j^^/).
Broad Cairn is an apparent misnomer, for the summit
of the mountain, which lies little more than half a mile due
south from the lower end of the Dubh Loch, forms a rocky-
cone anything but broad. " Broad," however, as might be
supposed, is a corruption, and is said to be derived from the
same root as the first syllable of Breadalbane. The mean-
ing of the name is said to be "the cairn of the hilly
country."* The view from the summit is good, though
not particularly extensive, stretching from Mount Keen^
Mount Battock, and Clochnaben, on the east, to the Glas
Maol and Cairn na Glasha on the south-west and the
Cairngorms on the north-west. To the south, the view
extends to the Fife Lomonds, but the north view is limited
to summits of Lochnagar. The Cac Carn Beag is not seen^
but the Cac Carn Mor, Cuidhe Crom, and the Little Pap
are prominent.
2. Cairn Bannoch {i,ii/^ feet).
This summit, the highest of the range, is about a mile
and a quarter north-west of Broad Cairn. There is hardly
any dip in the grassy walk between the two summits.
3. Creag an Dubh Loch {z^ioo feet).
This is the top of the crags to the south of the Dubh
* The Cairngorm Club Journal^ ii., p. 65.
The Lochnagar Group, ^ 63
Loch. It lies about three-quarters of a mile north-west of
Broad Cairn.
4. Fafemie {1,27^ feet),
Fafemie overlooks the top of Glen Callatar on the one
hand, and the sources of the Esk on the other. It is
situated about two miles east-south-east of the loch, nearly
two miles from Broad Cairn, and half a mile west of Cairn
Bannoch. Due south runs a ridge called Shank of Fafernie
(3,059), at the extremity of which are the eminences known
as the Knaps of Fafernie (2,997-2,971). From Fafemie, the
boundary line between the counties of Aberdeen and Forfar
runs on, via the Knaps, to the Tolmount and Carn na
Glasha.
5. Creag Leachdach {c, ^yOOofeet),
This is a rocky top at the head of Glen Callatar, nearly
three-quarters of a mile south-west of Fafernie, and about
half a mile north-west of Knaps of Fafernie.
6. Cairn of Gowal (3i2igfeef).
This top is situated half a mile south-east ^of Cairn
Bannoch.
7. Craig of Gowal {3,027 feet).
This top lies three-quarters of a mile south-west of
Broad Cairn on the other side of the hollow, down which
the Bum of Gowal runs to join the Esk a mile west of
Bachnagairn. Loch Esk is about a mile and a half to the
south-east.
8. Crow Craigies (c, i^ooofeet).
Crow Craigies is situated midway between Loch Esk
and the Tolmount, from which well-known summit it is
distant about half a mile to the east. It lies also at about
the same distance south of Knaps of Fafernie.
IV. — Minor Summits.
The minor summits are numerous and interesting.
Along the valley of the Muick, a ridge stretches south-
westwards from Birkhall, of which the principal tops are
the Coyle of Muick (1,956), Craig Meggan, Meall Gorm
64 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
(1,809), ^"d Conachcraig (2,827). The sharp but shapely
grassy tops of the Coyles {the Coyle, and Creag Bhes^,
1,700) are prominent in the foreground of the Ballater
view of Lochnagar, and Conach Craig, the top of which is a
mass of huge boulders, forms in itself an interesting climb,and
affords a capital view of Lochnagar. Farther up the glen
beyond Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, An t* Sron (the nose) pre-
dominates over the lower end of Loch Muick, and reaches
a height of 2,326 feet To the south-west of An f Sron lies
Monelpie Moss (the jagged moss), out of which rises the
Allt Dearg, a picturesque stream falling into the loch.
South of Loch Muick, and forming a continuation east-
wards of the Broad Cairn range, are Little Cairn (2,802),
Sandy Hillock (2,511), and Dog Hillock (2,400), all l)dng
on the county march ; but the most striking summit at this
corner of the group is the rocky Craig Mellan (2,815) at
the junction of Glen Doll and the valley of the Esk. The
cliffs on its east face are very fine.
Along Deeside, the minor summits are nearly all crowned
by huge and not very sightly pyramidical cairns — memorials
of various members of the Royal Family. The principal
of these are — Ripe Hill (1,678), with the Duke of Edin-
burgh's Cairn; Canop (1,477), with a cairn to the late
Emperor and Empress Frederick ("the Princess Royal's
Cairn"); and Creag an Lurachain (1,437), with a huge
pyramid to the memory of Prince Albert.
The highest of all the minor tops is Creag Liath (2,826),
nearly a mile due north of Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe, and
a mile and a half to the north-west of Creag Liath is Carn
Fiaclan (2,703).
On the Callater side the chief summits are, Carn nan
Sgliat (2,260), Creag nan Leachda (2,549), ^tnd Meall an t'
Sluichd (2,771), the last of which lies right above the Httle
Loch Phidruig.
V. The Climbs.
As has been indicated, the only rocks on Lochnagar
that have received attention from climbers are those of the
western division of the great corrie, and the best way of
ill
111
66 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
cession of difficult pitches made up of steep water-worn
rocks with rotten bits intermingled, and between four and
five hundred feet from the foot the real crux of the climb
has to be faced. In front is a perpendicular wall of dark
rock, which is frankly and palpably impossible, and on
the right hand there is no way of escape. On the left a
way has been forced for some distance, by keeping close
under the perpendicular wall, and then traversing back-
wards to the left, to the point C of the sketch, which is
right above the left-hand wall of the top part of the gully.
Another way of reaching the same point is by a narrow
crack close to the left side of the gully some little distance
below the perpendicular rock. Beyond this point no pro-
gress has been made. The farther route has been pro-
spected from the top, and reported not to be impossible ;
but it seems not too much to say that it would be a
distinctly difficult, not to say dangerous climb*
The first attempt on this gully was made on loth
March 1893, by Messrs Douglas and Gibson, who on that
occasion found the gully full of hard snow. They reached
the foot of the perpendicular rock in two and a half hours,
and then, finding no way of escape, descended in an hour.f
Another attempt, with the snow in a similar condition,
was made by Messrs Brown and Duncan, in February 1897,
but this party got no higher than the pioneers of 1893.
No further trial was made till April 1901, when Messrs
Raeburn, Garden, Duncan, and Crombie assayed the climb.
Once again, the perpendicular rock blocked the way.J
A summer climb was next tried on 14th July 1901, by
Messrs Raeburn, Garden, and Duncan, and this time the
advance to the left was made J
Another visit was paid to the gully in October 1902
*""" Messrs Raeburn, Mackay, and Goggs, when, although
: glazed condition of the rocks made a climb from the
)t impossible on the day it was tried, the top was pro-
Kted on another day by Raeburn, who was lowered from
♦ S.M.C. Journal, Vol. VII., p. 186.
t S-M.C.Joumal, Vol. 11., p. 246.
X S.M.C. Journal, Vol. VI., p. 231.
The Lochnagar Group, 67
the top of the gully to within about thirty feet of the point
reached in July 1901.*
2. The Tough-Brown Ridge.
This climb, outlined from D to E on the sketch, was
achieved by Messrs Tough and Brown in August 1896.!
Starting not many yards from the foot of the Douglas
Gully, this climb may be roughly described as a diagonal
traverse of the central buttress of the corrie, till ultimately
the extreme right-hand ridge of the buttress which is
followed to the top is reached about a hundred feet from
the top of the cliffs. The buttress is divided by two shallow
and narrow gullies into three vertical sections of unequal
breadth, the middle section being by far the narrowest.
The westmost section has a very distinct ridge on the
extreme right, which runs right up to the summit plateau,
and it was Messrs Brown and Tough's first intention to
follow this ridge from top to bottom. The rocks at the
foot of the ridge, however, make a frontal attack impossible,
and recourse was accordingly had to the gradual traverse
indicated in the sketch.
For the first hundred feet or so the smoothness of the
rocks, and the downward dip of the stratification, made the
climbing rather difficult, and after crossing the first gully
the party found it by no means easy to reach the second
gully. Between the two gullies an attempt was made to
climb straight up, but this was prevented by an impossible
slabby rock face about twenty feet high, and ultimately
the second gully was crossed about a hundred and fifty feet
above the screes. From the second gully, a somewhat
devious course, first up its western wall, and then over a
succession of moss and grass-grown slabs and ledges, led
the party to the edge of the ridge, where the nature of the
climbing changed immediately for the better. The rocks,
although steep, were found to be so much broken up and
shattered as to form a natural staircase, and the top of the
♦ S.M.a Journal, Vol. VII., p. 185.
t S,M.C, Journal, Vol. IV., p. 35 ; Cairngorm Club Journal,
Vol. I., p. 395.
68 The Scottish Mountaineering (7///^ Journal.
cliffs was reached without further difficulty. The time
spent by the party on the climb was three hours.
This climb has not been repeated, and there is no
record of any other climbs on this great buttress, with the
exception of an unsuccessful attempt to climb the ridge
from a point a few yards to the right of the line of the
westmost of the two gullies.*
3. The Raebum Gully,
The position of this gully is best indicated by describ-
ing it as the gully of which the Tough-Brown ridge forms
the eastern wall, and as will be seen from the sketch
(F to G) it curves upwards in an easterly direction to the
top of the corrie.
This gully was climbed ou 12th November 1898, by
Messrs Raeburn, Rennie, and Lawson.f The angle of the
gully is not severe to begin with, and the party made easy
progress till confronted by the main difficulty of the climb
— a great overhanging block which chokes the whole
width of the gully, and which was not surmounted without
a back from the second man, and the assistance of an
ice-axe, hung by the pick from the edge of the jammed
block. Above this great chock stone the gully was found
to be filled by a series of gigantic boulders crowned by
one more gigantic than the others, which seemed at first
to completely stop all progress. This obstacle was, how-
ever, avoided by crawling underneath it, where a small
chimney afforded a way of escape. The top part of the
gully was filled with soft snow. The climb occupied an
hour and a half. It has not been repeated.
4. The Black Spout Pinnacle,
To one looking down from the edge of the cliffs to
the west of the top of the Black Spout, one of the most
striking objects in view to the right of the spectator is a
shapely pinnacle broad based on the buttress which forms
the eastern wall of the Spout. It is situated just at
♦ S,M,C. Journal, Vol. IV., p. 35.
t S,Af,C, Journal, Vol. V., p. 176.
The Lochnagar Group, 69
the junction of the Black Spout and the side gully which
will be next described, and its summit, which is indicated
by the letter H on the sketch, is joined to the edge of the
corrie by a rocky ridge of no great length. This pinnacle
was first ascended on 20th October 1902. by Messrs Rae-
bum, Goggs, and Mackay, who attacked it from a point
on its north face just where the side gully branches off
from the Spout* The pinnacle is very steep here with a
succession of ledges, from one of which, about one hundred
and fifty feet from the foot, the party tried to make for the
top through a narrow chimney. The chimney was ultimately
found to overhang at the top, and the party gave it up
and descended to the side gully. On the same day, how-
ever, the party found an easy access to the summit of
the pinnacle from the top of the corrie by means of the
ridge above referred to. There can be no very easy climb
of this pinnacle by any other route.
5. The Black Spout and its Side Gully.
The Black Spout (marked L M in Mr Garden's sketch)
is the widest and most conspicuous of all the Lochnagar
gullies ; but, as already stated, it has no claims, under
summer conditions, to be ranked as a climb, though it
affords a pleasant variation of the stereotyped tourist routes
to the Cac Carn Beag. In winter, it, and also the side
gully which is indicated in the sketch by the letters J K,
are often very heavily corniced, and their ascent may be
a matter of very great difficulty. In summer the side
gully, which is at a very considerably steeper angle than
the Spout, affords a fairly easy and short climb. The
first recorded ascent was made by Messrs Douglas and
Gibson on loth March i892,f and since then it has been
frequently climbed both in summer and winter.
6. West Gully Climb.
West of the Black Spout is a deep gully, the position
of which is indicated by the letters N O in Mr Garden's
♦ S,M,C Journal, Vol. VII., p. 185.
t S,M,C, Joumaiy Vol. II., p. 246.
70 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
sketch. It was climbed on 19th October 1902, by Messrs
Raeburn, Goggs, and Mackay, and from their account it
appears to be a climb of considerable difficulty.* The
first section of the climb is largely vegetable. Then comes
a pitch of some twenty feet in height, with a boulder-
roofed cave at the top, for the ascent of which a rope
hitched from above is a most desirable assistance. After
this difficulty is overcome, there follows a scramble for
about a hundred and fifty feet, and then the last pitch,
which is about twenty feet high, has to be encountered.
Here a number of jammed stones forms a sort of cave in
the gully, and through the jammed stones a narrow
passage leads upwards. So narrow is the passage that
in order to wriggle through, the party had to doflf their
coats ! The remaining section of the gully is easy — a
scramble of twenty -five feet to the top.
VI. — Lochs and Streams.
All the lochs and streams of Lochnagar, without ex-
ception, drain ultimately into the Dee. In the case of the
Broad Cairn range, the county boundary is the watershed,
and while the streams on the north side also drain into the
Dee, those on the south side contribute to form the Esk.
All the principal streams have their rise in, or are connected
with, one or other of the lochs — hence the convenience of
taking the lochs and streams together.
The largest of the Lochnagar lochs is Loch Muick,
which lies at the head of Glen Muick, 1,310 feet above sea
level. It is two miles in length, and about half a mile
broad, and covers an area of nearly a thousand acres.
At its upper end, Loch Muick is fed by the Allt an Dubh
Loch, a stream which flows through the Dubh Loch, and
has its source in Carn an t' Sagairt Mor. Before reaching
the loch it is joined by a tributary stream, the Allt an Da
Chraobh Bheath, the head spring of which lies between
Carn an t* Sagairt Beag and Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach.
After issuing from the Dubh Loch, the Allt is fed by two
♦ S.M.C, Journal, Vol. VII., p. 188.
The Lochnagar Group, 71
considerable side streams, one from the north, the Allt an
Loch Bhuide, which flows from the little Loch Bhuide,
and is crossed by the pony track, and the other from the
south, nearer Loch Muick, the Allt Coire a* Chaise.
The two leading streams which join Loch Muick on its
north side, namely, the Glas Allt and the Allt Dearg, have
been already mentioned. The other considerable streams
draining into the Muick from Lochnagar are the Allt na
Guibhsaich and the Inschnabobbart burn, the Allt a'
Mhaide. The Muick itself joins the Dee near Ballater.
From the north side of Lochnagar a great many streams
flow directly to the Dee. Taking them in the direction
from west to east, the first one to be mentioned is the
Callater burn from Loch Callater to the Clunie. Halfway
down its course it is joined on the north by the Allt Coire
Ghuibhais, from Loch Phddruig, the small loch on Meall
an t' Sluichd, which is seen from Carn an t* Sagairt Mor.
Loch Callater ranks next to Loch Muick in size. It is
about a mile long and a furlong broad, and lies at a height
of 1,627 feet In picturesqueness, however, it is left very
far behind by the larger loch, and its appearance can only
be described as desolate and uninteresting. The head
streams of the Allt an Loch which flow into the loch at
the upper end, take their rise in the Broad Cairn range.
The next streams of importance are those running
through the Ballochbuie Forest — the Glen Beg burn and
the Garbh Allt. The former of these rises on Meall an t'
Sluichd ; the latter, the larger of the two, is the product of
the Feindallacher burn from Carn an t' Sagairt Mor and
the Allt Lochan an Eoin, the confluence of these two burns
being just above the picturesque Garbh Allt Falls. The
Allt Lochan an Eoin flows through the Sandy Loch, the
lower of two larger lochs in the north corrie. The upper
loch is Lochan an Eoin. Two little lochans in the west
part of the corrie are named Tarmachan and Feadaige.
The next considerable burn is the Gelder, the source of
the main stream of which is in Lochan Dubh, a tiny sheet
of water in Coire na Ciche, half a mile north-east of the
Meikle Pap. It receives, however, a great addition from
the Lochnagar burn, the burn of the loch in the great
72 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
corrie — the real Loch-na-Garr, which, with its rocky back-
ground, forms the grand climax of the scenery of the
mountain.
The Girnock, the last of the large streams of Lochnagar,
rises on Conachcraig and falls into the Dee about two miles
west of Ballater.
On the south of the Broad Cairn range, the bum of
Gowal is the most important of the headwaters of the Esk,
Another issues from Loch Esk, a lonely tarn with capital
fishing, which lies at a height of 2,417 feet, about a mile
south of Broad Cairn. The White Water of Glen Doll
joins the Esk at Braedownie. G. D.
Proceedings of the Club. 73
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB.
General Meeting.
The Fifteenth Annual General Meeting of the
Club was held in the St Enoch's Hotel, Glasgow, on the
evening of Friday, 4th December 1903, with the President,
Mr William C. Smith, in the chair.
The Minutes of the Fourteenth Annual General Meeting
were read and approved.
The Hon. Treasurer, Mr Napier, submitted his state-
ment for the past year, showing a balance in favour of the
Club of ;f 185. 8s. 2id. The accounts were approved.
The Hon. Secretary, Dr Inglis Clark, reported that ten
new members had been elected to the Club, viz., J. W.
Burns, T. E. Goodeve, T. D. Hunter, H. P. Macmillan, J.
R. N. Macphail, J. H. A. M*Intyre, W. Nelson, W. C. New-
bigging, A. W. Peacock, and J. H. Wigner; that the
membership of the Club was now 1 56. At the beginning
of the year the membership of the Club had been 152, of
whom two had died and four had resigned.
The Hon. Librarian reported on the Clubroom, giving
details of gifts to and purchases for the Library, and men-
tioning that the number of volumes in the Library had
risen from 50 to 300.
The Hon. Custodian of slides. Rev. A. E. Robertson, re-
ported that some 900 slides were now in the collection, 140
being added to it during the year. He also stated that
several members had taken advantage of the privilege of
borrowing them, and that they had been shown several
times during the year.
The Hon. Editor wished to report, but no opportunity
was given to him to do so, that the Journal had duly
appeared at its stated periods during the past year, and that
he was indebted to Mr Goggs for kindly attending to the
preparation of the September number while he (the Editor)
was absent in Canada.
A grant oi £\^ was made to the Clubroom Committee
for the purchase of maps and books for the Library.
A grant of £^ was made to the Rev. A. E. Robertson
for the upkeep of the slide collection.
74 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
The office-bearers, with the exception of those retiring,
were re-elected, and Messrs Raeburn and Garden were
elected to take the places of Messrs Bell and R. A. Robert-
son, who retired from the Committee by rotation.
It was decided to hold the New Year Meet at Fort
William, and the one at Easter at Aviemore.
The recommendation of the Committee re Life
Membership was fully discussed and the principle affirmed,
but it was ultimately decided to remit the question back
to the Committee to be again brought up next year, the
amendment being proposed by Sheriff Penney and
seconded by the President.
Mr Maclay moved, Mr Douglas seconding, that " the
election of the President shall not take effect till the day
after the General Meeting at which he has been elected,""
and this was duly carried.
Mr Alex. Fraser moved reprinting of Vols. I. and II. of
th^ Journal. This was vetoed by Mr Munro, who claimed
copyright in " Munro's Tables."
Reception.
Previous to the meeting, the Club held a Reception in the
same hotel, which was well attended. A selection of the
Club slides was shown by the Rev. A. E. Robertson.
The Fifteenth Annual Dinner.
At the close of the General Meeting, the Annual
Dinner was held in the St Enoch's Hotel, with the Presi-
dent, Mr William C. Smith, in the chair. The members
present numbered forty-two, and the guests twenty-six.
The toasts proposed at this dinner were : —
The King ... Mr W. C. Smith.
Imperial Forces . . Mr W. C. Smith.
Reply — Col. Forbes Macbean.
The Scottish Mountaineering Club Mr W. C. Smith.
The Alpine Club . . Mr George Duncan.
Reply— Ur Solly.
The Visitors . . Sheriff Scott- Moncrieff Penney,
Sheriff Guthrie.
Professor Raleigh.
Reply I
Library.
75
LIBRARY.
The following are the additions to the Library since the
last issue of the Journal,
The thanks of the Club are due to the donors, more
especially to Mr Adam Smail, who, though not a member
of the Club, has sent us a welcome and generous contribu-
tion to our shelves.
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Guide to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Geo. and Peter Anderson. (1842) - - Purchased.
The Alps. Prof F. Umlauft, Ph.D. (1889) - Geo. Duncan.
Vacation Tourists and Notes of Travel in i860.
Ed. by F. Galton. (1861.) Containing inter
alia " A Gossip on a Sutherland Hillside " - J. W. Drummond.
The Geological Structure of Monzoni and Fassa.
Maria M. Ogilvie Gordon. (1902-3) - - T. Craig-Brown.
Transactions of the Seventh International Geo-
graphical Congress held at Berlin, 1899.
2 vols. „
Observations on a Tour through the Highlands
and part of the Western Isles of Scotland.
T. Gamett, M.D. 2 vols. (1810) - - Purchased.
The Antiquities of Arran. John M 'Arthur. 2nd
Edition. (1873) „
The Loiterer in Argyllshire. Christina B. Stewart.
(1848) ...
Prospects and Obsen^ations on a Tour in England
and Scotland. Thomas Newte. (1791) - „
Sketch of a Tour in the Highlands of Scotland.
(1819) (Larkin) „
A Poet's Sketch-Book : Selections from the Prose
Writings of Robert Buchanan. (1883) - „
The Hebrid Isles. Robert Buchanan. (1883) - „
Studies of Nature on the Coast of Arran. Geo.
Milner. (1894) „
The Tweed, and other Poems. JohnVeitch. (1875) »»
The Wild Hebrides. W. C. Dendy. (1859)
Journal of a Tour in the Highlands and Western
Islands of Scotland in 1800. John Leyden.
(1903) .------. „
y6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Autumnal Rambles among the Scottish Mountains.
Rev. Thos. Grierson. 2nd Edition, greatly
enlarged. (185 1) Purchased.
Place-Names of Scotland. Rev. Jas. B. Johnston.
2nd Edition. (1903) W. Douglas.
Memoirs of the Geological Survey —
The Geology of North Arran, South Bute,
and the Cumbraes, with parts of Ayr-
shire and Kintyre. (1903) - - - Purchased.
(This book contains a bibliography
of publications on Arran.)
The Geology of Lower Strathspey. (1902) - „
Summary of Progress of the Geological Survey of
the United Kingdom for 1897- 1902, 6 numbers.
View of the Mineralogy, Agriculture, Manufec-
tures, and Fisheries of the Island of Arran.
Rev. Jas. Headrick. (1807) - - - - F. S. Goggs.
John Miller Gray : Memoir and Remains. 2 vols.
(1895) Cont2uning inter alia ** Notes of
Holidays in Arran." - - - . W. Rae Macdonald.
The Recess, or Autumnal Relaxation in the High-
lands and Lowlands. (1834.) James John-
son, M.D. Purchased.
Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called
Hybrides(i549). Sir Donald Monro. (1884) „
Pocket Picture of Edinburgh, with Map and Plan.
(1840) Adam SmaiL
Scottish Tourists' Steam- Boat Pocket Guide.
(1835)
New Picture of Scotland. 2 vols. (1807) - - „
A Visit to the Bass Rock. (Dalkeith, no date) - „
Black's Picturesque Tourist of Scotland. 2nd
Edition. (1842) - „
Steam-Boat Companion betwixt Perth and Dim-
dee. (1838) „
Descriptive Atlas of Scotland, by J. P. Lawson,
with a Scientific View of its Geology, and a
Map, by William Rhind. (1842) - - - „
Murray's Handbook for Norway. 7th Edition.
(1880)
Handbook for Switzerland, Savoy, and Pied-
mont 4th Edition. (185 1) - - - - „
Nelson's Handbook to Scotland for Tourists. ( 1 862) „
The Pentland Hills : Their Paths and Passes, by
W. AS(mith). (1885) . . - -
Library. jj
By whom presented
(when not purchased),
Norway and its Scenery, with Road Book. (Bohn,
1853) --.-,--.- AdamSmail.
Cary's New Itinerary. 2nd Edition. (1802) - „
Scotland Delineated. (Edinburgh, 1791) - - „
Guide to Beauly and District, by J. R. Pollock.
(1902) „
The Bass (Aberdeenshire), and other Sketches and
Verses, by John Gray. (Huntly, no date) - „
Reminiscences of " Auld Ayr." (1864) - - „
Sketches of East Lothian, by D. Croal. 3rd
Edition. (1885) „
Days in Thule, with Rod, Gun, and Camera, by
John Bickerdyke. (1894) - - - - ^^
The Catskill Mountains and the Regions Around,
by the Rev. Charles Rockwell. (New York,
i«67)
The Making of Aberdeenshire, by William Alex-
ander, LL.D. (1888) „
British Association Excursion Handbook : Edin-
burgh Meeting. August, 1892 - . - ,,
The Grampians Desolate : A Poem, by Alexander
Campbell. (1S04) „
Rutherfiird's Southern Counties' Register and
Directory. (Kelso, 1866) - - . . ,,
Side Lights on the ** Forty-Five'* and its Heroes,
by Adam Smail, Edinburgh. ... The Author.
Norway, by W. C. Slingsby The Publisher
Rambles in Breadalbane, by M. Ferguson. (1891) • Purchased.
Rambles in Skye, by M. Ferguson. (1885) - - „
MAPS, &c.
Kirkwood & Son's Travelling Map of Scotland.
(Edinburgh, 18 1 1.) (Folded in Case) -
Ordnance Survey 6-inch Sheets, Ixxii. and Ixxiii.
(Fannich District)
New Travelling Map of Scotland. (Edinburgh,
1825.) (Folded in Case.) ....
Oliver & Boyd's Travelling Map of Scotland.
(Edinburgh, no date, but previous to 1831) -
Panorama seen from the Observatory on the
Summit of Ben Nevis. (Stirling, no date) -
Adam Smail.
Geo. Duncan.
Adam Smail.
n
)9
PHOTOGRAPHS.
Enlarged Photograph of Sgurr nan Gillean
J. Gall Inglis»
yS The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
LANTERN SLIDE COLLECTION.
During the past year some 140 slides have been added to the
collection, representing many new hills of which hitherto the Club
possessed no slides at all : these include B. Alder ; B. Laoghal ; B.
Hope ; The Foinne Bheinn Range ; the Lochinver hills, Suilven,
Canisp, Quinag, Stac Polly, Cul Mor, &c.
A very fine set of views of the Coolins under Alpine conditions,
taken by various members at the Easter Meet, have now been made
into slides, and are at the disposal of the members.
The Club slides are in considerable demand. Twelve lectures have
been given with their aid during the past year, and those who may wish
to borrow slides would do well to advise the Custodian as early as
possible as to the date they want them, to prevent disappointment.
There is a full catalogue of the slides in the Library, and by arrange-
ment with the Custodian this could be sent to any member at a dis-
tance wanting to know what slides were obtainable.
The collection is still far from complete, many hills and districts
being as yet entirely unrepresented, and the Custodian has in some
instances been unable to supply certain members who asked for slides
of these places. This of course will be gradually remedied in time,
and the funds placed at his disposal are being spent in making the
collection as all-embracing as possible. For example, we have nothing
of the Central Ross-shire hills : — Glen Affric, Glen Cannich, Glen
Strath Farrar. The Custodian intends, however, to revisit some of his
old haunts in these parts in the early summer with his camera, with a
view to obtaining material for slides of these grand but little-known
hills.
The thanks of the Club are due to Messrs Comer, Inglis, and
Munro, who have gifted slides to the Club, and to Messrs Clark,
Douglas, Howie, Inglis, Rennie, and C. Walker for lending their
negatives in order that slides might be made from them.
Archd. E. Robertson.
EXCURSIONS.
The Editor will be glad to receive brief notices of any noteworthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles, but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no difficulty in imparting information
in the other form,
S.M.C. ABROAD.
Dr and Mrs Inglis Clark, with their son and daughter, had a
successful time near Zemiatt. Favoured by superb weather they
ascended the Matterhom, Monte Rosa, Rimpfischhorn, Breithorn, and
Mettelhom en familie. They also climbed the Platthom and Gabel-
horn from a bivouac on the Schalbett Alp, and the Schwarzhom from
a hay chalet on the Steinthaligrat.
Mr Drummond, with Mrs Drummond, Miss Graham, Mr King,
and Mr Naismith, spent three weeks at the Montanvert in July and
August, and in spite of the changeable weather had an enjoyable holiday,
and did some good climbs. The following hills were successfully
ascended : — Aig. de TM, Pic du Tacul, Aig. du Moine, Mont Blanc,
traversed from the T^te Rousse to Montanvert via the Bosses, the Col
du Midi, and the G^ant S^racs — an interesting route ; Petit Aig. du
Dru, Grandes Charmoz (traversed), Col and Aig. des Grandes Montets,
Petit Charmoz, Dent du Midi. Half of the excursions were guideless.
Messrs Garden and Douglas spent three weeks in the Canadian
Rockies, and among the peaks climbed were Mount Assiniboine,
Pope's Peak, Whyte's Peak, Mount Lefroy, Fairview, Mount Aberdeen,
Castle Craig, Mount Abbot, Mount Avalanche, and Mount Sir Donald.
The weather was unsettled, and the days for climbing had to be
snatched from a number of stormy ones.
Messrs W. N. Ling and H. Raeburn had splendid weather in
July in Norway, and got some good climbs, mostly new, in Sondmore.
Along with H. Priestman they made a traverse — after a defeat on
first attack — of all three peaks of the Saetretinder (new) near Kolaas.
Moving to Rise, Ling and Raeburn ascended the three peaks, two
believed to be new, of the Grotdalstinder. Shifting camp again to
the Hotel Union at Oie, all three ascended Jagta (5,200), mostly by
north-east arete. A combined photographic, topographic, and climb-
ing party of Messrs Priestman, Corder, Ling, and Raeburn then went
up into Habostaddal and round to Brunstadskar, and climbed the first
peak of the Brekketind Ridge. The two former then crossed the
"o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
glacier to the Langesaeterdal and Urke, while the latter traversed the-
whole ridge of the Brekketind (about 5,200) and Gjeithorn (about
S,2oo), a thoroughly sporting climb, the connecting ridge, extraordinary
pinnacles, new. Next day, 28th July, Ling and Raebum went straight
up Slogen fiom south-west. The peak is about 5,200 feet, and the
climbing begins at 950 feel, the angle being very steep, especially the
last 1,500 feet Leaving the hotel just at the foot at 7 A.M., the
summit was not reached till 8.30 p.m. Kletterschue were used by the
leader on the top 2,000 ft. Both climbers consider this by far the
biggest rock-climb they have ever had the luck to be on (new).
From Oie, Ling and Raebum took boat to Bjerke, and traversed
Homindalsrokken to KJelstadIi, crossed the Jostedalsbrae from Erdal
to Faaberg, and went on to Turtegrti in the Horunger. Here the
weather was bad, with snow and iced rocks, and not much was
accomplished. Ling anc) Raebum first tried Store Riinstind by
Soleiridge, but were driven back after ascending Soleitind by wind
and ice. Ling and Raeburn with Herr Erik UU^n then went round
into Berdal and tried Store Riinstind from Solei-col — without success,
— also failed to force the ridge facing Ausiaboitind, but found a useful
traverse across south face, avoiding descent to the glacier, [o ordinary
ridge which was followed to top. An abortive attempt was also made
by a party consisting of Froken Bertheau, Herr Ulldn, Ling, and
Raebum to traverse the Dyrhauger from south. The same party also
crossed Bandet, descended the Midt Maradal glacier, and climbed
Kcerringa, to attempt to complete the passage of the great gap
between Kosrringa and Mand. The south side had been descended
a week or so before by a party consisting of Froken Bertheau, Herrcr
Tanbei^ and UlWn, with Knut Forlun and Ole Berge. Raebum went
down 200 feet on north side with rope, but considered that time and
Tope were too short to give chance of success. The party were oat
seventeen hours.
The snowfall in Norway, as in Scotland, had been very great this
spring, but this did not interfere with the climbing, and gave magni-
ficent standing glissades.
Mr T. G. LonCstaff climbing in Suaneia with Mr L. W. RoUeston
made the first ascents of Lakra (12,188 feet), Tiktingen (15,276 feet),
u Tschana {13,790 feet), Bashil tau (13,685 feet), and the west
Shkara (16,592). They also climbed the highest peak of the
nd Tetnuld. The weather was exceptionally fine.
Low and Mr C. W. Walker stayed about three weeks in the
-Griidner Thai. With guides did the Grosse Fermeda Thuim,
idla, Daint de Mesdi, Funffingerspitie (Schmitt Kamin) ; witb-
des, the Kleine Fermeda Thurm, Fermeda de Cisles, Plattkofel,
a, and the Murfreid. They lost about a week through a heavy
lew snow on the bills.
Maylard in company with a friend, Mr W. R. Arbuthnot,
1 in the CEiztbal group — the Wildspilie, Weisskiigel, and the
Excursions, 8 1
Kreuzspitze ; in the Dolomites — the Marmolada, Cimone della Pala,
Campanile, and the Cima de Val di Roda.
Mr H. T. Munro, with a friend, in the early days of June last,
ascended the Mulahacen (11,703 feet), the highest of the Sierra
Nevadas in the south of Spain, and the highest mountain in Europe
outside the Caucasus and Alps. On the north and west side, that
facing towards Granada, the mountain has some steep crags enclosing
some wild corries, between the Mulahacen itself and the scarcely lower
summits of the Alcazaba to the east and the Picacho de Veleta to the
west. One of these corries encloses a small glacier which, situated in
latitude 37°, is the southernmost in Europe. The cliffs, though not
inaccessible, would undoubtedly furnish some good climbs. The
whole of the upper portion of the mountain reminds one of a Perth-
shire mountain on a large scale. On the southern side, from which
the ascent was made, the slopes are perfectly easy, and except for the
lateness of the season and consequent unusual depth of snow, mules
might have been ridden to the summit.
The main, and indeed only difficulty, is one of commissariat ; the
accommodation at Capileira, where the night was passed, being of the
roughest, but a little care would overcome this, for provisions could
be brought from Granada. A revolver is, however, a by no means
unnecessary article of equipment.
Mr and Mrs C. W. Nettleton were at Montanvert for three
weeks in July and August in broken weather. Chamonix was reached
from Geneva via Sixt and the Brevent — a charming and highly recom-
mended training walk.
At Montanvert a start was made with the Petit Charmoz and the
Aig. de I'M, followed by the Moine, Grand Charmoz (traversed), Col
and Aig. des Grands Montets, the Blaiti^re, and the Aig. de Tacul
(traversed). The Col de Geant was crossed to Courmayeur, and an
ascent made to the Dome Hut for the traverse of Mont Blanc. This
was found to be impossible, owing to bad weather and a gale on the
Bionnassay ar^te ; but after a descent to the Miage Glacier, a way was
groped over the Col de Miage, &c., Montanvert being eventually
reached at nearly midnight, after a soaking twenty- one hours' day.
Better luck attended their next attempt on Mont Blanc a few days
later, the route of Messrs Drummond, Maclay, Naismith, and
Wickham King being followed from the Tete Rousse over the Aig.
and Dome du Gouter, and the Bosses to the summit. Here a
delightful hour was spent in bright sunshine, the descent being made
by the corridor route to the Grand Mulets and Pierre d PEchelle,
whence a bee line was made for Montanvert over the three glaciers
and the endless moraines of the Plan des Aiguilles. " An easy day
for a lady ! "
Mr James A. Parker spent a fortnight at Zermatt with Dr
Clark's party, and took part in the ascents of Monte Rosa, the Matter-
horn, and the Mettelhom.
XLIII. F
82 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Messrs W. Cecil and W. E. Slingsby, Norman Collie, and R.
Northall-Laurie had a grand time in the Lofotens, climbing 'both
peaks of Rulten — very stiff— and several other new expeditions.
Messrs Solly and James Maclay, with Mr Arthur Hargreaves
of Birkenhead (who was in his first season), made the following ascents :
Oldenhom from Col de Pillon by a new route (to be described in
A.J.\ with descent by the Prapioz Glacier. Aiguille du Tour from Col
du Forcloz via Glacier de Trient, with descent via Col du Tour and
Tour Glacier to Argentiere. Aiguille des Grand Montets from Lognan,
with descent direct to Glacier de Lognan. Grand Fourche from
Argentiere via Col du Chardonnet, with descent to Glacier du Tour.
Afterwards with Messrs Naismith, King, and Drummond, and a guide,
Maclay took part in an ascent of Mont Blanc via TSte Rousse, with
descent via Col du Midi and Glacier du Geant.
Mr J. H. Wigner's expeditions in the Caucasus were Shtavler
(first ascent) with four Companions ; Hewai, Ledesht Tau, Leirag (all
about 12,000-13,000 feet, first ascents), Charendd (probably second
ascent), unnamed summit in the Dalla Kara Ridge, probably second
ascent (first by tourists), Latpari and Laila passes, three summits of
the Laila traversed, Betsho Pass, Dongusorun Pass, Kuish Pass (first
crossing), and Elbruz. All ascents but Shtavler done with Dr Oscar
Schuster of Dresden, and without guides. Over the new pass they took
two Suanetian porters.
ARRAN.
October 1903.
My Dear Douglas,— It must be about two years since 1 had
the honour to address you on the doings of Sassenachs in Arran, and
I beg humbly to inform you that they have been " at it again."
As I was accompanied by my wife only, no great researches were
intended. We found a relative staying at Corrie, and persuaded him
to join us in an expedition along the ridge of Sannox, from the EarPs
Seat to the Castles, including the Carlin's Leap. It was the finest
day we had in the whole fortnight. The descent of the Step was
safely accomplished, but I'm bound to say the Carlin is a rough body
— " scarce weel bred " ; for my wife's blouse was worn or torn through
in more than one place, and our relative's garments sufifered in a some-
what similar manner to mare Maggie when " claught her " by the carlin.
It was only after a week at Corrie that I heard from Naismith
that our Hon. Librarian was at Brodick, and he very kindly joined
us at the Bowmen's Pass, under Ben Tarsuinn, and helped us over
A' Chir, Cir Mhor, and on to North Goat Fell {your naming).
It was on the last day of September that F. S. Goggs kindly called
for me at Corrie, and we set out with the intention of climbing the
Sannox face of Cir Mhor, and proceeding from thence to the Castles
to investigate the ridges running northwards.
Arrived at the top of the water slide from Upper Glen Sannox,
Excursions. 83
we tackled a gully that I took to be "D" trap dyke, up which
Naismith led mc two years ago, but it quickly proved different to
my recottection, and we soon had to put on the rope. Our difficulties
throughout were generally passed by keeping to the left, and in some
cases traversing into an adjacent or supplementary gully. Before
long, the part of the gully we were in became too smooth and water-
worn, and we attempted a kind of rib of rough sloping flat rocks
on the left, with the idea of passing the pitch, but they would not go.
F. S. G. then traversed more to the left and climbed on to a narrow
grass ledge still on the same side. It was creepy work, perhaps a
tall man could have reached a crack in the face running parallel to
the ledge and used it as a banister.
The grass ledge ended in a steep vegetable gully, reaching to a
cave formed by overhanging blocks.
1 was the first to investigate this low architectural work, and found
a suitable window for exit, but unfortunately the contractors had left
the sill stone quite out of its proper position, with an aggressive
comer sufficient to prevent the body passing whichever way it was
tried. I thought to have shoved the stone away a few inches, but
beyond getting it quite loose could do nothing.
An invitation was therefore given to my companion to vacate his
cold "plant" in the gully below, where he was in danger of becoming
part of the prevailing vegetation. He promptly accepted and passed
me in the cave, and removed the already loosened stone, and passed
through the window with ease and relief. Above this we tried to
regain the main gully, but arriving at an impossible comer, came
down again to the top of the cave and proceeded up a chimney
leading to a collection of blocks forming a kind of embryo cave, and
climbed through the largest opening therein, and arrived on the
steep grassy shoulder of the mountain.
The clouds were round us, but by good luck we found the " great "
cave and went through without difficulty, only assimilating a quantity
of dirt, and from thence by more good luck and tracing fragments of
black bottles and finding a walking-stick in a snug corner, we found
ourselves at the bottom of Bell's Groove.
Thereafter, much puffing, a wash in the Rosa Pinnacle bath, a
eed behind a sheltering rock, and a leave-taking at 5 P.M. ; Mr
Librarian going home to Brodick by Glen Rosa and I to Corrie by
Glen San n ox.
On referring to the diagrams of Cir Mhor in iht Journal, we are
led to believe that the ascent of B i gully has now been made, w^'''-
you will perhaps discuss with Mr Goggs, to whose hand I coi
this note for delivery.
I am glad to hear of your successful trip to the Rockies — I pre:
the Canadian section, and in the interests of the Empire. — With
kind regards, yours faithfully,
G. Bennett Gibi
84 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
Sgurr nan Gillean. — We have received from Mr Jackson, of
Manchester, the following letter from Mr Leicester — the companion of
Mr Malcolm W. Allen, who lost his life on Sgurr nan Gillean on the
27th July 1903 :—
Dear Mr jACKSON,--My friend, who was nearly two years older
than myself, and I were on a cycle tour in Scotland, and arrived at
Sligachan Hotel on 25th July. The following day we visited Lochs
Scavaig and Coruisk, and then climbed along one of the ridges of the
Cuchullins (the one dividing Loch Coruisk from Hart a Corrie), and
a considerable way up the final summit of Bidein Druim-na-Ramh ;
but meeting with a difficult piece, and being pressed for time, we
abandoned the attempt and descended into Hart a Corrie. The
mountains were fresh to us both, and we had never climbed together
before. I had, however, watched my friend, and I noticed that he
climbed with ease and pleasure. He was a good athlete, with a cool
head and a cautious disposition.
The following morning we set out to ascend Sgurr-nan -Gillean,
and landed on the pinnacles. On reaching the third pinnacle, we
found a difficulty in descending in the direction of the fourth, and
abandoned the attempt, descending part way down instead towards
the screes on the Glen Sligachan side. 1 then suggested to my
friend that I should like to make a detour and go for the summit,
and asked him if he was inclined to come. As he did not consider it
worth the trouble, I asked him if he minded waiting for me at the
hotel for a couple of hours, which he was quite willing to do. We
intended cycling some considerable distance in the evening. Our
parting was of the most casual description, and the thought of his
being in any danger never crossed my mind. I imagined that he
would follow down to the screes and return to the hotel, by what
would then be a comparatively simple route. He apparently how-
ever returned, speaking in a general way, by the same route we had
come, and fell just as he was descending the lower portion of the
rocks which rise from the moorland to the foot of the first pinnacle.
I am informed by Mr John Mackenzie, who discovered him, and by
Miss Tait of Dartford, who together thoroughly e.xamined the spot,
and saw his footmarks in the scree just above, that the foil was not
more than twenty feet.
On leaving my friend I ascended the summit and descended by
the pinnacle route, climbing the piece on the third pinnacle which
we had hesitated to descend. Being alone I felt quite comfortable
to attempt it, and of course an ascent is usually a much simpler matter
than a descent.
On arriving at the hotel I found that my friend had not arrived.
As it was already 5 o'clock I felt uneasy, the day being perfectly
clear and the route unmistakable. At 6 o'clock I started out to
search, fearing he must have sprained an ankle ; by dusk I had
searched the first and second pinnacles, and as darkness came on
Excursions. 85
descended towards the hotel. At 10.30 1 met a search-party, and we
spent the night on the mountain, and renev^ed the search about
2.30 A.M. as soon as day broke. It was not, however, until about
1 1 o'clock of the day following, that is after an interval of over forty
hours, that the body was found.
Dr Ellis Milne, of Aberdeen, was one of the search-party, and
meeting me on the mountain persuaded me to descend without
examining the body as it lay, so I have only seen the spot from
some few hundred yards away. To my great regret I had no op-
portunity of examining it before leaving the island. Dr Milne states
that death, which was instantaneous, was caused by compound
fracture of the skull.
We cannot speak too highly of the assistance rendered during the
search, not only by the guides and others residing in the district,
but also by the visitors at the hotel. In organising the search-parties,
I feel much indebted not only to Mr Campbell, the manager of the
hotel, but also to Dr Milne of Aberdeen and Miss Tait of Dartford,
who both possessed exceptional qualifications for the task.
In addition to what I have already written, I may add that neither
my friend nor I are climbers in your sense of the word, and did not
carry a rope or possess nails in our boots. I do not know how much
climbing my friend had done, but he appeared quite at home on the
mountains. I have myself been up most of the English Lake hills, a
considerable number in Scotland and North Wales, besides the
mountains of Kerry and Connemara in Ireland, but have never
attempted anything more than the Broadstand and the Chimney on
Scafell, and similar places elsewhere. I have never used nails, nor,
with one slight exception, a rope, and have often climbed alone.
You will gather from the above that the accident is one which
might happen to any lover of the mountains at any time.
I should not feel it right to conclude this letter without adding
that, though I cannot consider that I am in any way to blame from an
intellectual point of view, yet, apart from the grief which I have experi-
enced in the loss of a very dear friend, I have suffered the most acute
remorse, firstly for ever suggesting an ascent of the mountain to my
friend, and secondly for leaving him to descend alone. I cannot in a
letter convey the full measure of the mental torture I am continually
going through as I think of the loss which his mother and family have
suffered.
You will, I hope, not consider me presumptuous if I add a word of
caution against leading others into dangers which one may lightly
enter into oneself, but which one's companion may not be so com-
petent to undergo, nor yet be in a position to thoroughly realise the
extent of.
Trusting I have given you the required information. — Yours
sincerely, Mark Leicester, Jun.
86 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
Ben Nevis — The Staircase Climb^ Cam Dearg. — The Rev. A.
E. Robertson and the writer ascended the C. D. buttress by this climb
on 6th July. Two variations on the route, followed by the first and
second parties, were made. The second of these is more properly
an evasion of a difficulty, but was foimd grateful and comforting in
the saturated condition of the rocks and the clothes of the climbers.
The first begins just at the top of the " Staircase,** where Naismith*s
suggested railing was found badly wanted. Instead of proceedings
along the sloping green ledge, facing the " Castle," a turn to the left
is made, and a good ledge followed leading round the edge of the wall
in the direction of the waterfall. Crossing some slabs, with good holds,
access is gained to a deeply cut-in chimney. This chimney is very
conspicuous from below, and may possibly ''go" straight from the
bottom, though I believe it has been attempted several times
without success. The upper half, however, goes sill right, but cannot
be called easy, as its walls, till a good square step on the right is
gained, are remarkably smooth and holdless. Its height is about 50
feet, and at the top it opens out on to the " easy grass " of the original
description. At the top of the " easy grass," instead of tackling the
"12 foot wall" or the slabs below to the left, we traversed round the
foot of the pinnacle and descended into the bed of the gully, ascended
it till level with the pinnacle col, and traversed rather rotten stuff here
unto the col. The climb was finished by the original route. It rained,
sleeted, and snowed nearly all the time. Some old snow was lying, even
below the pinnacle, in the waterfall gully. We got nearly 800 feet of
standing glissading on our descent from No. 4 gully to the foot of the
Cam Dearg Buttress, and the little tarn in Corrie na Ciste was still
almost completely covered with hard snow and ice five or six feet
thick.
Observatory Ridge ^ First Descent, — On 5th July Robertson and Rae-
burn descended the ridge ; time taken, four hours. The weather was
of the worst, torrents of rain falling all day. No special trouble was
experienced till just above the " hand traverse,'* when, by keeping too
much to the left (true), we got pounded on some very awkward slabs ;
this cost us nearly an hour, and a considerable reascent.
The summit Hotel was regained, via the north-east buttress, in two
hours, starting from thefoot of Slingb/s Chimney and ascending slabs
to left to first platform. This is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest
way to the first platform, it was done without hurry in eighteen
minutes. Above the platform the right-hand ledge was followed.
Heavy cornices, and much snow in the corries. H. R.
Glencoe. — R. S. Low and the writer spent two days about the end
of September in Glencoe, and were favoured with very fine weather.
The first day Bidean nam Bian was climbed by the Church Door
Buttress. Scarpetti were tried at the chimney beyond the bridge, but
Excursions, 87
were not a success on account of the quantity of wet mud about, and
hobnailers had to be substituted. After the chimney the ascent was
made practically straight up, not by the "15 ft. comer."
The second day the morning broke with wind and rain, and although
later the weather again became fine, it spoilt the plans for the day.
After walking up the glen to about the shepherd's cottage, a line was
made for the narrow, well-defined buttress which runs up to a short
distance south-west from the summit of Am Bodach. It was a very
enjoyable climb, although not difficult : what steep pitches there were
abounded in excellent holds. The north ridge was traversed on the
way home. C. W. Walker.
Beuchaille Etive Mor, 13M October 1903. — Ridge immediately
to the left of, and conterminous with D gully. Very easy in the lower
part, but on the upper part three clean rock buttresses gave good sport
under the very wet conditions, assistance having to be givtn to the
leader at two points. Time, one and three-quarter hours. One hundred
feet might be added to the climb at the foot by ascending the lean-to
slabs to the left instead of stepping out of the watercourse on the
beginning of the ridge proper. The curved ridge was gained from the
top by a prominent mossy ledge, giving an interesting climb of rather
more than half an hour's duration. W. C. Newbigging.
Ben Lomond, May 1902. — Ascent of prominent chimney between
the Pinnacle route and gully H, reaching the top about twice as far
distant from the latter as the former. Climb proper begins off " Main
Ledge," a short distance from its foot. Found to be steep, vegetable,
rather interesting, and difficult. W. C. Newbigging.
ARRAfiy June 1902. — Ascent of one hundred and twenty feet; promi-
nent, interesting, chock-stoned chimney, towards the eastern end of
the section of cliffs above Corrie Daingean, nearest to the summit of
Ben a' Chliabhain. The rest of those cliffs seem hardly worth climbing,
although ascended at one other part, a little to the right of first
mentioned. W. C. Newbigging.
CORRESPONDENCE.
LIFE-MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION.
Dear Mr Editor,— I am glad to see that, while leaving the
amount to be afterwards fixed, the Club has passed a resolution lo
have a Life- Membership subscription ; for, to my mind, it is very de-
sirable that the Club should be able to give to old members, who are
. no longer in the flower of their youth, and who for various causes have
practically retired from participating actively in the joys of our beloved
sport, the opportunity of continuing their membership on paying i
nominal life subscription.
1 can well imagine there must be many among our old members
who have the feeling, every time a request to pay their annual sub-
scription reaches them, that now is the time to resign, while yet they
have a lingering desire to continue their connection with a Club which
has given them so much pleasure in the early days of their member-
ship. We too would be sorry to lose these old friends entirely from
the Club, and were the opftorlunity given them to continue their
membership on the payment of a nominal life subscription, I thiak
some would gladly avail themselues of the privilege, and we would
thus have the pleasure of having them with us for the whole terra of
their natural existence.
Such members would cost the Club practically nothing — the actual
extra cost being the few pence annually for the postage of Club notices
and xh^ Journal.
I would therefore suggest that while the annual subscription re-
mains at 15s., the life subscription should be for
Members of 10 years' standing ■ ^5 5s.
I. 5 - 10 los.
: (entry fee extra) - '5 ISS-
arial members of the Club will have their say on
)pe whatever is fixed on, will be with the view of
. considerable inducement to join for life.— 1 a""^
W. Douglas.
Correspondence,
89
Dear Mr Editor, — As the minds of the members will doubtless
be directed to the above subject, I have taken an early opportunity of
tabulating some statistics showing the period during which those who
have already joined the Club have continued their connection with it.
Wbile it is quite true that a period of fifteen years is much too short for
forming a definite conclusion regarding the probable years of member-
ship of those who join, there can be no denying that the figures
appended have a certain value, and will assist the members in judging
as to the merits of rival proposals which may be brought before them.
Table of Membership of the Club from 1888.
ji'^^J. Ybars in the Club.
I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14
1888 95 94 83 76 72 67 64 63 63 62 60 56 56 55
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
i9of
1902
1903
5
9
5
9
II
4 3 2 I I I
988888
998885
15 14 14 13 12 II
...99999
I
6
5
II II
6
5
• • • • • •
7
18
9
7
9
7
6
5
II
8
7
6
4
10
8
7
18 18 18 16 13 13
13 13 13 13 13 13
8
• • • • • •
8 8
10 10
• • • 4
8
10
4
9
8
9
4
8
7
15 i6
53 SI
... .•«
6 5
4 4
10 10
7 7
6 6
11 II
12 12
8 6
9
4
8
7
7
8
4
8
7
7
10
From the table given above the following broad conclusions may
be drawn : —
I. That many of those who joined the Club in the early years 1888-
1892 did so from sympathy, and to assist the young association in its
start. Once fairly launched, these withdrew from it in a few years,
leaving a balance of working members, many of whom still take a
practical interest. Thus of 137 gentlemen who joined during these
years, only 103 remained for five years and eighty-four for ten years,
seventy remaining till the present day.
2. That since 1893 those who have joined for the greater part still
remain in the Club, death accounting for several notable exceptions.
Thus of fifty-five members who joined in the years 1893- 1897, forty-two
still remain; while in the third period' 1898- 1902, thirty-seven have
joined of whom thirty-four are still with us.
3. We may therefore assume that present-day candidates will
remain for a longer period in the Club than original members have
done, and the life subscription for new men must be based on this.
From the table we see that the average duration of original members
XLin. G
90 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
is about sixteen years, and I suggest therefore that the sabscription
should be arranged to cover a period of say twenty-one years. This
would probably protect the Club from loss, and at the same dme be
sufficiently attractive to new members who might thereby safi^uaid
themselves from a possible rise of the annual subscription to one
guinea.
What sum, then, should represent this twenty-one years' purchase ?
Our Treasurer based his calculations on 3^ 7o interest, but for conveni-
ence I have taken 3^ %, with the following result, allowing a trifle over
in favour of the Club : —
After 10 years* subscriptions - - £7 os.
After 5 „ - - 9 9s.
New members (entrance fee extra) - 11 iis.
Mr Douglas has shown me his letter proposing ;f 5. 5s., jQio- los.,
;£i 5. 1 5s., and while his figures deal rather severely with the new member
(discounting future rise of subscription), they undoubtedly offer an in-
ducement to the older members, whom we are all anxious to retain
among us. — I am, yours truly, W. Inglis Clark.
47 LiLYBANK Gardens.
Glasgow.
Dear Mr Editor,--As I understand that you intend to ventilate
your views on the subject of the commutation of subscriptions through
the medium of \ht Journal^ I think it might be as well that I should
also state my views, also my objections to the proposal as submitted to
the last Annual Meeting of the Club.
I think the following two points should be prominently kept before
us in preparing any scheme on this subject : the first is, that we must
proceed on sound financial lines, so as not to endanger the position of
the Club ; and the second, that without endangering the foregoing
object we should endeavour to give some advantage to the original and
older members who were the pioneers of our present success, and as
such deserve our gratitude.
Our Honorary Secretary has prepared a table which he is submit-
ting to you, showing the length of time each member has been in the
Club. Now, sir, every one will admit that this table, although very
interesting in itself, is of practically no value to any one in considering
the present question, because the Club has been in existence too short
a time (only 15 years), and also because the men now joining arc
nearly all active mountaineers, who, even when their own activity
ceases, will always take a keen interest in the doings of the Club ;
whereas a goodly number of our original and older members were not
active mountaineers, but joined from love of our Scottish mountains
and scenery. These latter are the men we want to induce to stay on
as life members.
Correspondence, 91
On first going into this matter, I discovered the materials necessary
to further and simplify my investigations, viz., a report by a Com-
mittee of the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland on the subject of the
comniutation of their subscriptions, which was submitted to, and
accepted by the members of the Society in June last At the end of
their report the Committee added a list of various other Societies who
had ahready commuted their subscriptions, giving details of the com-
mutations, annual subscriptions, &c, in force. It is these and the
table prepared by this Committee that I took as the basis for
my calculation, making an allowance, of course, for the fact that our
members only require to continue their membership as long as they
feel interested in the objects of the Club. I also, as far as possible
checked my figures in the following manner : I took the average age
of new members at entry to be about thirty, and that of the original
member about fifty, and calculated the present value of our subscrip-
tion at 3^ 7e interest, the same rate as is taken by the Faculty of
Actuaries, and which is certainly not too low a rate, and I found that
my figures came to practically the same, but gave a distinct advantage
to the older members.
The following table is the result of my investigations : —
An original member may commute for - - £^ 5s.
A member of 10 years' standing „ - - 7 7s.
» 5 » i> - - 10 los.
A new member (including entry money) - - 14 14s.
If members will investigate these figures thoroughly they will find
they are correct, and by following them will be going on sound
financial lines.
I have added the five guineas for original members to the figures I
put before the last annual meeting, as I feel sure that the increased
number of members who would take advantage of the smaller com-
mutation will more than counter-balance the monetary loss, and also
because our Honorary Secretary has had difficulty in persuading some
of these older members to continue their membership, and it appears
to me that these are the men who might be induced to take advantage
of our commutations provided they are reasonable.
From the foregoing remarks you will be able to understand my
objections to the proposal submitted to the annual meeting, viz., that it
is financially unsound and does not give any advantage to the older
members. Under that scheme an original member after commuting
would have contributed ;^i5. 13s. 6d. to the funds of the Club, while a
member of say five years' standing would only have contributed £\\.
9s. 6d., and under my scheme an original member would have con-
tributed ;^I3. IIS. 6d. and a member of five years' standing ;^I4. 12s.
6d. — I remain, yours truly, R. Graham Napier.
MOUNTAINEERING LITERATURE.
Several books of interest to us have appeared lately, some of which
have been written by members, and to those of course we extend a
hearty welcome.
From Messrs Stutfield and Collie come their book^ on the Canadian
Rockies, with graphic descriptions and photographs of their climbs and
explorations in that fascinating district
Mr Slingsby gives us his book* on Norway, telling of his many
holidays spent in that happy playground. Of special interest are the
maps in it prepared by Mr Priestman, as well as the beautiful pen and
ink drawings by Mr Eric Greenwood which add much to the interest of
the volume. All of us who go to Norway must get the book, and others
who have no present intention of going there will enjoy reading this
delightful account of a charming country.
The Geological Survey have just issued a monograph on Arran'
which will give great pleasure to all those who love that beautiful
island.
Mr £. A. Baker has just completed an elaborate volume on Moors,
Crags, and Caves of the High Peak of Derbyshire, * telling of breezy
walks, boulder and cliff climbing, and of the wonderful caves of this
to us, a practically unknown land.
1 Climbs and Exploration in the Canadian Rockies.
By H. E. M. Stutfield and J. Norman Collie. (Longmans, 12s. 6d.
net.)
Norway, the Northern Playground. Sketches of Climbing
and Mountain Exploration in Norway between 1872 and 1903.
By W. Cecil Slingsby. (Douglas, i6s. net.)
* The Geology of North Arran, South Bute, and the Cum-
BRAES, with parts OF AYRSHIRE AND KiNTYRE. By W. Gunn,
Sir A. Geikie, B. N. Peach, and A. Marker. 1903. (4s. net)
^ Moors, Crags, and Caves of the High Peak and the
Neighbourhood. By Ernest A. Baker. With forty-three Photo-
graphs and two Maps. (Heywood, 6s. net.)
Scottisb nDountaineering (Tlub.
Hon, President
President - -
Vice-Presidents
Hon, Secretary
Hon, Librarian
Hon, Treasurer
Hon, Editor -
OFFICE-BEARERS FOR 1904.
- The Marquis of Breadalbane.
■ - W. C. Smith.
(Gilbert Thomson.
(James Maclay.
- W. iNGLis Clark, 29 Lauder Road, Edinburgh.
• - F. S. GOGGS, 25 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.
- - R. G. Napier, 107 St Vincent Street, Glasgow.
- - W. Douglas, 9 Castle Street, Edinburgh.
J. W. Drummond.
F. C. Squance.
J. Rennie.
W. W. Naismith.
Committee,
Rev. A. E. Robertson.
Harry Walker.
H. Raeburn. /
W. Garden.
Sub-Committee for Clubroom.
The Hon. Secretary.
The Hon. Editor.
The Hon. Librarian {Convener),
^-■' ■-.•^•- (">..-. ■ ■.. ti",nV^- >s.B'\k\--v
-jt*. _ ••:;
THE SCOTTISH
fiSLounUinttxiviQ Club Sournal
Vol. VIII. May 1904. No. 44.
BEN LUI REVISITED.
By W. Douglas.
What can be said of Ben Lui that has not been said
already, and well said too, in the pages of our Journal?
Well, I admit that this glorious mountain has been fully
described from every point of view and from every point of
the compass, and were it not that every excursion during
the winter months to almost every mountain is as different
as possible from those that have gone before, I would not
think of filling our Journal with another account of an
expedition to this noble hill.
Dr and Mrs Inglis Clark and I arrived at Tyndrum on
the evening previous to the Sth of March, and having " told
Tyndrum that we were going to come," everything was
prepared for our reception, even to the proverbial hot-water
bottle.
Tyndrum is one of the most attractive spots in the
Highlands for fine, wide, and inspiring views, and on the
morning after our arrival the view to the east, of Ben More
and Cruach Ardran, and to the north, of Ben Dorian, was as
splendid as ever. The hills were covered with a spotless
mantle of snow, and the clouds were sufficiently heavy
to lend that mystery to the scene which is always so
enchanting.
We were under weigh by nine o'clock with well-filled
rucksacks containing cameras, ropes, wettermantels, and last
but not least, "the preveesion"; but we had not gone far and
XLIV. A
g6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
were only breasting the shoulder of the hill behind the
station, before dipping down to the Coninish Valley, when
we were overtaken by the younger and more energetic
members of our party, Mabel and Charlie Clark and Harold
Raeburn, who had, in order to join the expedition, faced
the ordeal of catching that dreadful train, the 4.30 A.M. from
Edinburgh.
The ground was fast bound in frost, and the snow,
though somewhat thin on the low ground, was deep and
solid higher up. The going was good, and the usual couple
of hours passed quickly as we made for the workings of the
old lead mine, having had the wonderful view of Ben Lui
in front of us all the time. The cameras were busy, and
the thoughts of the splendid results to follow kept us keenly
alive to the best points of view. The great corrie was before
us white from base to the summit, with only a few of the
dark rocks of Stob Garbh, and the containing walls of the
central gully, showing black amid the vast expanse of
winter's snows. Soon we were well up and into the corrie,
and then as we neared the foot of the gully we came to a
wide field of avalanche snow that had at one time, and
evidently not so very long ago, poured out of it, leaving a
fan-shaped slope of rough and hummocky snow and ice of
vast extent and large enough consistency to considerably
slow down our rate of going.
At the top of this we donned the rope, in two parties,
for the snow was very hard, in places almost icy, and a
possible slip out of the steps had to be guarded against
The younger contingent went away ahead, and we followed
rapidly. Near the top our leaders took us out to the left, to
give us a more difficult climb over steep and fog-crystal
covered rocks which led us almost to the cairn. What a
glorious view we had ! Snow-topped mountains rose out of
dark valleys all around. The lovely photograph of Ben
Cruachan here reproduced shows the picture we had to the
west, and the mountains in other directions were equally
picturesque.
Mr Bell has spoken in a previous Journal of a purely
ideal climb, but his ideal, fine as it is, is not exactly in
unison with mine, for I must confess that " newness " and
Ben Lui Revisited, 97
** rocks " do not enter so largely into my idea of what such
a climb should be, for I feel that a snow climb appeals more
strongly to my imagination than any one on rocks would
ever do ; but then every snow climb is to a certain extent
^' new," for the conditions of two climbs on different days
are seldom the same, though the scenery remains un-
changed.
If I were asked to formulate my idea of a purely ideal
climb, I think I should say that it should embrace —
First, a fine frosty day, with lots of sunshine, plenty of
moving clouds and blue sky, and a keen, clear, but not too
strong a wind.
Second, a big north-east corrie, well broken up with steep
snow and ice gullies, and the rocks all around heavily be-
decked with frost-crystals, giving fairy pictures in all their
wonderful and fantastic shapes, and ending in a stiff slope
with icy chimneys, and possibly a cornice to surmount
before the summit can be reached, and the whole slope
requiring a not inconsiderable degree of mountaineering
skill to successfully scale.
Third, sunshine on the top with the shelter of some great
rock to enjoy the view of a vast expanse of broad Scotland,
stretching away in all directions, where one can drink in a
matchless and marvellous view to one's heart's content.
Fourth, on the homeward journey to strike a snow slope
of a thousand feet or so in just the right condition for a
sitting glissade ; and lastly, to have that good fellowship
which so many climbers are able to extend.
But to return to Ben Lui. The snow to-day was not in
perfect condition. It was hard and icy on the top, and any
glissading there was, was got under difficulties. When we left
the Cairn, we plunged into a perfect frenzy of wind-driven
snow. We were, however, soon out of this, and made for the
gentler slopes to the north. With Stob Garbh on our right,
we made an interesting descent to the old lead mines, while
our young friends returned by the big corrie again, so as to
catch the 5.22 train home. They had had several short
glissades, and found out the strange fact that snow with an
icy crust becgmes quite hot when this mode of descent is
"adopted ! We followed more leisurely, but were in time to
98 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
shout our adieus to them as we again rounded the shoulder
of the hill above the railway station.
I have made many ascents of Ben Lui, my first dating
as far back as 1887, and the top has seen me many times
since then. I may say that every ascent is full of the
pleasantest recollections, so much so that it ranks with
Ben Cruachan as one of the most delightful mountains
within easy reach of Edinburgh.
Well do I remember my first ascent in September of
1887, we started from Crianlarich — and of thinking, even
by the line of least resistance that we then took, that we
had made a splendid ascent. Then again, in April 1891,
with Joseph Gibson Stott and others, doing the whole
range from Dalmally to Ardlui, and having a fine snow
tramp over all its four peaks, getting gorgeous views,
and lots of fun. Also of the many ascents during the early
Dalmally, Loch Awe, and Tyndrum Meets of the Club.
On one of these, when we had only got the length of
Beinn a* Chliebh, I remember Fraser Campbell composing
the following rhyme as we returned down the slopes in a
very drucked condition. Ramsay and Munro were not
present on that occasion, but as their names rhyme better
than his and mine, he, regardless of truth, insisted on using
them.
" Three jolly mountaineers are we,
Bound for the top of Beinn a' Chliebh,
Over the roeks and up the scree
Into the rain and mist.
Down to the valley again we go,
Out of the rain and the mist and snow,
Ramsay and Rennie and Hugh Munro,
Out of the rain and mist.
Oh ! We are the mountaineers who rally
Every winter at Dalmally.
Right in the heart of the Orchy Valley,
At the foot of Beinn a' Chliebh.
These are the joys of a climber's life,
Always with storm and snow at strife,
While winds blow sharp as a surgeon's knife
On the slopes of Beinn a' Chliebh.
Ben Lui Revisited, 99
But back to the inn at set of sun,
Round the fire with chaff and fun,
We tell of the deeds that day weVe done.
What happier men than we ?
Oh ! We are the men who always rally
Every winter at Dalmally,
Right in the heart of the Orchy Valley,
At the foot of Beinn a' Chliebh.
When years have sped, and we've grown old,
And our lives are lived, and our tales are told,
And feet are slipping, and hands won't hold
On the rocks of Beinn a' Chliebh.
Our thoughts will turn to the long ago,
To the days in the mist, and the rain and snow,
(Ramsay and Rennie and Hugh Munro),
And the nights with the S.M.C.
Oh ! We are the men who used to rally
Every winter at Dalmally ;
But now we're bound for the Happy Valley,
So farewell to Beinn a' Chliebh."
I also can recall a very sporting ascent up the central
gully in a most awful blizzard which is so graphically de-
scribed by Mr Naismith, Vol. IV., p. 267.
Another jolly ascent was in 1893, when a member took
a surprising glissade down the " Fox's couloir," and in con-
sequence mulcted the Accident Insurance Company of a
large sum of coin. Ben Lui is not only on that account a
most repaying hill, and, as one becomes fonder of it with
every visit made, I can confidently recommend the expedi-
tion to any one who wants what I consider simply an ideal
climb !
'•
•
lOO The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB.
T.HIRTY-SECOND MEET OF THE CLUB,
Fort- William, New Year 1904.
By J. H. Bell.
Fort -William again proved a strong attraction to
members of the Club, and a new record in numbers for a
New- Year Meet has been put up. Probably many causes
contributed to gather together the thirty men who filled
the Alexandra Hotel. The last Fort- William Winter Meet
was notable for the smallness of the gathering, but all who
had been there conspired to spread stories of glorious days
and grand climbs in crisp air, bright sunlight, and glittering
moonlight, and this year the Secretary thoughtfully sent
out a notice pointing out that if one didn't like walking
one could drive, and that if one was benighted on Ben
Nevis there was always the Observatory to take refuge in.
So that whether one were cast in the heroic or the epicurean
mould, the temptations were equal. The growth of our
Meets may fairly be claimed as evidence of the vitality
and energy of the Club. It has only one threatening aspect
It appears that soon, if we are to meet under one roof,
only Fort- William, Aviemore, and one or two other centres
will be able to provide an hotel palatial enough for our
needs. Visions pass before our eyes of the Club meeting in
the future at the Grand Hotel in Oban, and reaching the
hills by means of an organised service of motor cars.
In one respect this Meet may fairly claim to be unique.
Thirty men were climbing for four days, and there is no
record of anybody having even got his feet wet. This
was a welcome change after the snow baths we experi-
enced at Killin. A keen frost had converted even the
swamps on the direct route to the Allt a' Mhuilinn into a
convenient highway. There was singularly little snow for
the time of year. It was only above 3,000 feet that it lay
in any quantity, and what there was, was so hard that it
was only possible to glissade standing. Some of us thought
29 Laudrr Road,
F^niNBURGH, i4th December igoj.
Scottish mottntaineeriiig eiuD*
NEW YEAR MEET.
Dear Sir,
The New Year Meet of the Club will be
held at the Alexandra Hotel, Fort William, from Thursday^
J I St December^ till Monday^ 4th January igo4.
As a climbing centre, Fort William has few rivals. Although,
for the short days of winter, the distance from the ridges of
Ben Nevis and the Mamore Forest peaks, may seem excessive,
it must be remembered that a good road leads to Poldubh,
and that the presence of an Observatory on Ben Nevis
reduces the risks of winter climbing somewhat. I incorporate
with this Circular the Map of Ben Nevis, amended to date,
but I refer Members and others who desire full information
regarding the available climbs, to the exhaustive Guide Book
articles on Ben Ne\is and the Mamore ( iroup, which appeared
in the S. M. ('. Journal for September 1902.
For the convenience of Members, I have made the following
arrangements, viz. : —
Complete Board, including laths and afternoon lea . 9/- per day.
Di^cait for three and driver to foot of Ben Nevis path ^
Waggonette „ „ „ „ Terms on
Do|CBH r«r thiec and driver 10 Poldubh ^[^ mc
W«egonelle „ ,. „ }
I enclose Post Card for intimation of intention Co be
present, but Members will kindly engage their room.s direct
from the Hotel.
If a sufficient number intimate their intention of being
present, a carriage will be reserved from Edinburgh by the
train, which will be available for Glasgow Members,
baskets will be obtained at Crianlarich.
Yours faithfully.
w. INGMS CLARK,
Proceedings of the Club, loi
with fond regret of the luxurious descents from Ben Nevis
at Easter '95, when a sitting glissade of 2,000 feet brought
us down in record tinfie. Three members brought their ski
with some thought of corrupting the morals of the Meet by
introducing so fascinating a rival sport, but none of the ski
got higher than the hotel door.
Throughout the Meet the clouds clung obstinately
during the daytime to the upper thousand feet of Ben
Nevis, and a strong south-east wind made itself rather too
keenly felt on the upper rocks ; but for most part of the
time fine views were to be had from any elevation less than
3,500 feet, and in the evening, after the sun had gone down,
even the top of Ben Nevis might be seen glittering under a
bright full moon.
The first to arrive before the official Meet opened were
Lester, Parr, and Wigner.
Parr began the rock-climbing account by a solitary
ascent of the Castle Ridge, and Wigner with a friend made
an unsuccessful attempt on the South Castle Gully, the big
pitch of which was found to be in a half-clothed and re-
pulsive condition. Lester strolled up to the Allt a' Mhuilinn
Glen and amused himself by cutting steps across the frozen
pitches of the burn.
On Thursday, 31st December, eleven men braved the
discomforts of the early morning train. Two got out at
Crianlarich and bagged Cruach Ardran before coming on by
the evening train ; seven left the train at Corrour to reach
Fort- William by the grand walk through Glen Nevis, with
the added attraction of ascending en route some peculiarly
remote and insignificant " Munro." The remaining two
went on to Fort-William, where they spent their time
executing many shopping commissions for the seven, and
then having comfortably lunched, found their way to the
top of Meall-an-t-Suidhe just in time to see the sun setting
over Loch Linnhe, with all the western hills even to the
Cuillin spread out before them.
The evening train brought a large contingent who com-
pleted the party of thirty. We much regretted that neither
the President nor the Hon. Editor were able to come, but
among our number were both Vice-Presidents and the
I02 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
Hon. Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian. We had five
original members and six new members among the com-
pany, who mustered, all told, Messrs Gilbert Thomson,
Maclay, Inglis Clark, G. Napier, Goggs, Bell, James Bums,
Gillon, Goodeve, Hill, Inglis, Lester, Meares, Munro, Morri-
son, Maclntyre, Macmillan, Newbigging, Parr, Raebum,
Rennie, Robertson, H. Walker, C. Walker, and Wigner—
members ; and John Burns, C. Clark, Macharg, Unna, and
Waugh — guests.
Friday, 1st January, was the great day of the Meet, at
least in respect of the numbers and variety of the climbs
done. It is said that the raven, ptarmigan, and deer of
Lochaber and Mamore all held separate meetings to inquire
into the meaning of the sudden and simultaneous invasion
of their fastnesses. Ben Nevis as usual was the chief
attraction. One party found a new way up the northern-
most of the Trident buttresses, while others reached the
top by means of the Castle Ridge, the north face gullies, the
Carn Dearg ar^te, the shoulder above the head of Glen
Nevis, and the path.
Other members, who from various causes (it may be
feared in some cases laziness) were able to resist the mag-
netic attraction of The Ben, found their way instead to the
top of Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Beag, or Stob Ban, while
one small and very energetic party went to the top of
Aonach Beag via Carn Mor Dearg, and returned by Glen
Nevis.
On Saturday, 2nd January, there seemed to be a general
feeling that the Castle Ridge was the thing to do, no less
than ten men choosing that way to the Observatory, while
to the joy of all Maclay, Parr, Unna, and Macharg succeeded
in forcing the Tower Ridge route, for it would have been
unseemly, when thirty men were gathered at Fort- William,
to have left unclimbed the grandest climb on the mainland
of Scotland. Ben Nevis was also ascended by another
snow gully and by the path, while one member was content
with half-way up the path, and another wewt one better by
spending the day in the excursion by rail to Mallaig and
back.
Four members extended the radius of Fort- William
Proceedings of the Club. 103
climbs by ascending the great ridge of Garbh-bheinn of
Ardgour and returning in one day by means of a good
deal of driving, steamering, and the ferry at Corran.
By Sunday, 3rd January, men were beginning to feel
themselves in form, and plans were laid for the assault of
the North-east Buttress and the Staircase of Cam Dearg ;
but the wind in the Great Corrie was found to be too
severe for these exposed climbs, and the North-east Buttress
party preferred the shelter of the Observatory Gully, from
which they made a new variation by traversing on to the
Tower Ridge above the Tower.
The ** Staircase " party joined the bulk of the members,
who spent the day on the lower levels ; but as a sign of
hope and of reproach, it should be pointed out that all the
new menpbers present were on the hills — Newbigging,
Morrison, Goodeve, and James Burns climbing Ben Nevis by
one of the northern face gullies; while Dr Macmillan, always
keener than the youngest, led Maclntyre and Waugh to
the top of Stob Ban.
Monday morning saw most of the party off by the train,
but those who were left made the most of their good fortune
and had good climbs on Stob Ban and Meall-an-t-Suidhe,
of which notes will be found below.
«
On Tuesday, 5th January, Parr and Unna ascended the
North Castle Gully; and on Wednesday, 6th January, Parr
and Wigner made another attempt on the South Castle
Gully, but the big pitch still proved too much.
On Wednesday afternoon the spell of fine weather broke,
and deep new snow prevented Parr, who stayed on at Fort-
William, from doing any more climbing. So ended the
adventures of the big party who " went up to the mountains
in the snow."
NOTES ON SOME OF THE CLIMBS.
1. Corrour to Fort- William by Glen Nevis.
2. Trident Buttress.
3. C. M. Dearg, Aonach Beag, and Glen Nevis.
4. Garbh-bheinn of Ardgour.
5. Tower Gully Ridge Traverse.
6. Stob Ban.
7. Meall-an-t-Suidhe Gully.
I04 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
CoRROUR TO Fort-William by Glen Nevis over
Sgor-na-h-Eilde.
Thursday^ list December. — A party of seven — Messrs
Goggs, Goodeve, Morrison, Munro, Newbigging, Thomson,
and Rennie — left Corrour at 9.20, followed the line for two
miles, then down to Loch Treighead and up Amhainn
Reidh. They crossed the stream some \\ miles west of a
cottage at the head of a glen, in which are Lochs Eilde
Beag and Mor, and struck the Sgor-na-h-Eilde Ridge at an
obvious wide col, thence over hard snow, a gentle rise to
the summit (3,279 feet), 2\ miles as the crow flies from the
track in the main glen. They went back along the ridge
to the col, then slantwise down the west side of the ridge
to where the Glen Nevis stream makes a right-angled turn
under Tom an Aodaich, then due west past Steall — five of
us taking the lower path through the gorge, and two the
upper. Both parties used the rope at one point on account
of ice-sheets across the path and the fast oncoming dark-
ness. Four luxurious tramps forming the advance guard
took a trap which met them half a mile from the end of
the Glen Nevis road, reaching Fort-William about 6.15.
The main body, consisting of one, trudged on, arriving at
6.50, and the rearguard of two marched in at 7.50.
The weather conditions were perfect for the trip — ^very
little snow above, and that hard — the low ground frozen,
and therefore no bogs. Bagging Sgor-na-h-Eilde added
about 2\ hours to the length of the trip.
The scenery is good all through, and as an alternative
route to the railway line it can be thoroughly recommended.
F. S. G.
The North Trident Buttress of Ben Nevis.
Friday, \st January. — A large party left for Achintee
by the early coach. After proceeding more or less together
as far as the lunching-stone, they there split up into smaller
parties ; a party of four — Maclay, Raeburn, H. and C. W.
Walker — turned up into Coire na Ciste and proceeded to
climb the northernmost of the three Trident Buttresses.
This buttress or ridge forms the somewhat broken wall that
Proceedings of the Club, 105
bounds the Cam Dearg Gully and the Moonlight Gully on
the south. The rocks low down were in splendid condition^
no snow lay on them, though the crevices were often full
of black ice ; the loose stones, rather characteristic of this
ridge, were all firmly frozen into position. The climb began
at ten up the line of a very conspicuous trap-dyke in the
centre of the buttress, which is in places steep though not
difficult. Towards the top it develops into a ridge crowned
at the summit by a steep tower. This last tower was snow
and fog-crystal clad, and the wind was strong and rather
painful. The climb finishes within a few yards of the cairn
on the top of Cam Dearg, which was reached at twelve. The
party then passed round the heads of Nos. 4 and 3 Gullies,
up the latter of which they watched another band of
enthusiasts cutting steps in the hard snow. They then
went on to the Observatory, where they found themselves
the first visitors for the year, and received the usual
hospitable welcome from the observer in charge, Mr the
Cook, and the famous cat, and returned to the Alexandra
in time for baths and afternoon tea. It was misty above
3,500 feet, and the wind was south-east, somewhat strong
and cold. Down below was clear, frosty, and fine — tem-
perature on summit about 23'. H. R.
Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach Beag.
Friday, \st January. — After leaving the lunching-stone,
Goggs and Goodeve followed the Allt a* Mhuilinn to about
the 2,500 line, and then made straight up to the summit of
Carn Mor Dearg, which was reached at 11.45 A.M. We
found the snow hard, and it was necessary to cut a few
steps in places, but we did not rope. We then climbed
down to the col between Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach
Beag, and then straight up to the ridge, which was joined
at about 3,750 feet, and followed to the summit (1.30 P.M.).
After leaving the summit we followed a direction almost
due south, and roped for a time, as we could not see in the
mist what the ridge was like. We came down with the
Allt Coire Guibhais on our right to Steall (2.30 P.M.), and
then followed the track to Fort-William (5.30 P.M.).
T. E. G.
io6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Garbh-bheinn of Ardgour.
Saturday^ 2nd January, — Bell, G. Napier, Raeburn, and
Rennie left Fort-William by the 7 A.M. boat for Corran.
A trap had been ordered by wire overnight, and after about
half-an-hour*s delay the party continued their journey down
the west side of Loch Linnhe in a strange vehicle which
seemed to be a superannuated theatre omnibus. It had at
least the merit of warmth, but progress was slow, and it was
after ten o'clock before the party alighted at the bridge over
the Corrie lubhair Burn, about a mile beyond Inversanda
Lodge, and about 7^ miles from Corran. The left bank of the
stream was followed for about 2 miles till the Garbh-bheinn
Corrie was opened. On the south side of the corrie is a top
(nameless in one-inch Ordnance Map), with a steep slabby
face towards the corrie, and on the north side are the range
of cliffs falling from Garbh-bheinn himself There is a col
(about 2,250 feet) between the nameless peak and Garbh-
bheinn, and the highest point of Garbh-bheinn is imme-
diately above the col on the north side. The summit can
be reached from the col without any climbing by a slight
detour on the western slopes of the mountain. Falling
directly from the cairn, on the eastern side, towards Glen
lubhair, is the ridge which is the climbing attraction of
the mountain. The ridge had been once previously ascended
and once descended, both climbs under summer conditions.
A strong cold south-east wind, and the glitter of frost
crystals on the upper rocks, made some of us wonder
whether it was not better suited for a summer climb. How-
ever, during the two hours that we were climbing, either
the wind lulled or we were in an eddy, for a halcyon calm
reigned around us, and once on the rocks the "preposterous**
holds and hitches gave us a delightful sense of security. The
ridge proper starts from a grassy rake some 300 feet up
the face. This rake can be reached either directly up the
steep slabby and grassy rocks just on the left of the great
gully, or by a backward traverse from a point higher up the
corrie towards the col. We followed the second and easier
route. From the summit we descended to the col, then by
a short standing glissade to the corrie again. Though we
Proceedings of the Club, 107
^3d not hurried we had gone steadily since leaving the
^'^ni bus ; still it was obvious that we would miss the return
^^nier due at Corran at four o'clock, and as it proved we
^'"^ a.bout an hour late. By this time the wind had re-
/'^'"ed its energy, and for a few minutes it seemed doubtful
. ^^ther we would manage to pull across the ferry. It was
. ^t>out as rough as was pleasant on a dark and cold
&«xt:, and I for one was by no means sorry to be safely
f. 5^^^. We warmed ourselves by the kitchen fire in the
^ ^ Kether Lochaber Inn while a trap was being put in
.| ^^, and then a pair of good horses took us back to the
.Q^ ^^ndra Hotel at 8 P.M. Now that this delightful little
^ ^ ^tain has been shown to be within reach of a day from
^^"^X.- William, I hope that it will soon be better known to
^embers of the Club. In the summer, with more frequent
steamer service, and with the aid of bicycles, it is really
quite easily accessible. The big gully looks as if it has
numerous, perhaps insoluble, problems to offer to a strong
party. It will need a long summer day, dry weather, and
warm rocks. J. H. B.
Tower Gully Ridge Traverse.
Sunday^ ird January. — Rennie, Raeburn, and Wigner
went into the Great Corrie, intending to ascend Nevis by
the North-East Buttress, but the fierceness of the wind made
them alter their plans to an attempt on the Observatory
Gully-Tower branch. At the foot of the latter a remark
by Rennie that he would not mind some rock-climbing for
a change, induced a further change of plan ; and the party
then traversed rather steep and treacherous snow to the
foot of the Tower Gap Chimney, which was climbed to the
gap, and the ascent finished by the usual Tower Ridge
route. The conditions were not ideal, and the climb into
the gap was harder than it would be in summer. The
traverse, and perhaps the lower part of the Chimney, are
apparently new. H. R.
Stob Ban.
Monday^ ^th January. — Maclay and Parr with Unna
ascended Stob Ban.
Leaving the hotel shortly after 6.30 A.M., they cycled to
io8 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Achriabhach Farm at the head of Glen Nevis, where they
left their cycles. Leaving the farm about 7.35, they followed
the path up by the Coire nam Feusgan Burn, crossing to
the right side of the burn about half-way up, and following
the zigzags and the subsequent sweep of the path till
nearly level with the foot of the main buttress of the north-
east corrie. Here they re-crossed the burn and traversed
round to the foot of the buttress — not quite an easy traverse
owing to the ice and snow. This route has the advantage
of giving an excellent view of the whole corrie.
The foot of the buttress was reached about 9 A.M.
Several routes up seemed to present themselves, the most
sporting being a steep wall of black rock, forming the ridge
at the lower end of the buttress. In the existing wintry
conditions it was deemed advisable to leave this for the
summer, when it will probably give an excellent climb,
and Maclay and Parr attacked the ridge immediately to
the left which ascends steeply between two gullies, and has
near the foot what appeared to be a gendarme, but turned
out to be part of the buttress. Unna preferred to reach
the top by the south-eastern ridge.
The route lay up the supposed gendarme, above which
were two or three difficult bits, the rocks being slabby and
out-sloping. This section of 150 to 200 feet took about
I \ hours.
Once at the top of this ridge, there was no further diffi-
culty. The next part consisted of steep hard snow, in
which steps had to be cut leading to the top of the buttress,
and from thence the ridge was followed to the summit,
which was reached at 11.50 A.M., the time of the ascent
being about 2 J hours, excluding a halt for a meal at the
top of the ridge.
After a short halt on the top, Maclay took leave of the
others to catch the afternoon train home. Descending by
Coire Dheirg Glen, he reached the farm in a trifle over an
hour, and the hotel about 1.45 P.M. The others spent a
longer time on the top, and returned in a more leisurely
way.
The corrie of Stob Ban merits much more atten^ft
than it has hitherto received. In addition to the JflHJ^
y
Proceedings of the Club. 109
Buttress referred to, which certainly furnishes several climbs
on both sides, there are several good gullies, and also two
shorter buttresses to the left of the big one, and just under-
neath the summit. The climbing on these latter appeared
to be stiff, if feasible at all ; but owing to the mist hanging
about the summit and want of time, they could not be
properly reconnoitred. J. M.
Gully on Meall-an-t-Suidhe.
Monday y \th Jannary, — Three-and-a-quarter hours were
spent by Burns, Newbigging, and Raeburn in the big gully
of Meall-an-t-Suidhe, the second which is passed on the
way up the path. The first and third give apparently no
climbing. Most of the leading was done by myself, except
at one or two places which Raeburn took. Many of the
pitches were iced heavily, and one pitch Raeburn preferred
to turn, as several hundredweights of ice would have had
to be sent down on the other two. W. C. N.
no The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Thirty-Third Meet of the Club,
AviEMORE, Easter, 1904.
By W. Inglis Clark.
Were one to ask in what way the S.M.C. shows a cor-
porate life, it might be answered — In its Meets, \\s Journal^
and its Dinner. Of these three I would unhesitatingly place
the Meets in the front, as a means of keeping up interest
and activity, and of promoting that brotherly feeling which
we have always been proud to think is a special feature of
our Club. The lines of our Club song focus this idea, and
give the key to all our proceedings —
"Good comrades we of the S.M.C.,
We're a jolly band of brothers,
Tho' we're sons of many mothers."
At these Meets there is of course a larger proportion
of our younger members than veterans, but no better
opportunity exists for learning caution, confidence, and
boldness than there, where the beginner makes ascents
under the wing of some accomplished climber, and in this
way gets borne in on him that caution, above all things, is
essential to the safe pursuit of mountaineering. May I,
however, make an appeal in this place to the decreasing
ranks of our original members not to desert our gatherings
under the impression that they are unwanted, and would
be out of their element. Had we not with us Mackenzie,
Munro, Naismith, Prof Ramsay, Rennie, and Gilbert
Thomson, all belonging to the original brigade, and setting
us an example of enterprise and energy which even the
latest recruit might envy. A terrible rumour has, however,
lately arisen that the Hon. Secretary allows no man to
take breakfast later than 7 A.M., and that the hotel may be
in uproar from 5.30 A.M. onwards. There may be some
scant truth in this, but I am sure that if the original
members turn out in greater force, an eight or even a nine
o'clock breakfast may become the more popular.
When it was decided that the Easter Meet should be
held at Aviemore, two different opinions were expressed.
Proceedings of the Club. ill
On the one hand, the distance from the climbing ground
(some 8 miles), the absence of sporting rocks (saving Sgoran
Dubh), and the risks of chill when driving home in con-
veyances were strong objections. On the other, a palatial
hotel, superb scenery, and a district affording a certainty of
snow work weighed more strongly in the balance. And how
did the result turn out ? Was it a successful Meet ? The
general opinion was that despite a constant gale of 50 to
100 miles per hour, and a series of blizzards unsurpassed in
the Club's history, it ranked among the most enjoyable.
An anticyclone had reigned over Scotland from 28th
March, and a cloudless sun beat on the ranges of the Cairn-
gorms, superficially thawing the snow, which again froze by
night into glistening sheets of ice. A. E. Robertson and
Inglis Clark, bent on photography, arrived by the early
train on the 31st, and had a peerless view of the whole
range, glittering like polished silver in the morning sun-
light. "That enthusiast Munro" had already cycled up
to Loch Eunaich, and by that time was ascending the snowy
slopes of Sron na Leirg. By ten o'clock, however, clouds
were forming, and photography was brought to a standstill
by the springing up of a hurricane from the south, which
more or less continued till the termination of the Meet.
Munro accomplished his climb, reported the snow in good
condition, but described the blizzard on the ridge as ex-
ceeding anything in his experience. The surface of Loch an
Eilein was torn into spindrift, and the photographers from
a sheltered nook watched the spray blown from the castle
to the other end of the loch in nine seconds, showing a
velocity of perhaps 100 miles per hour.
Evening saw a large accession of members, so that on
Friday morning no less than twenty-two left Aviemore by
the brakes at 7 or 8 A.M. for the mountains. Cairngorm
and Ben Muich Dhui were ascended by Burns, Drummond
and his son, Macmillan and Rennie, who by some mis-
chance had to walk back the whole way to the hotel.
Squance and Mackenzie visited Cairngorm. Munro walked
to the Larig Ghru. Raeburn, Garden, Roth, and Almond
climbed a snow gully in Coire an t-Sneachda to the Cairn-
gorm Ridge, returning to the corrie by another route.
XLIV. B
I
112 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Goodeve, Robertson, and A. Russell climbed from Coire
an t-Sneachda by a gully, and descended by the Pinnacle.
But the most interesting achievement of the day was
reserved for the late party (8 A.M.), consisting of Campbell,.
Clark, Douglas, M*Intyre, Prof Ramsay, D. Ramsay, and
Solly. These, driving by Loch an Eilein to Glen Eunaich,
had been forewarned by Munro that for about a year the
road had been blocked by a mighty boulder, which pre-
vented all passage by horse, and very conveniently stopped
tourist driving parties from reaching the lower bothy^
Forewarned is forearmed, and in addition to seven ice-
axes, the party was provided with a i-inch iron pipe 5 feet
long, and two nondescript crowbars. The drive was one
of surpassing beauty, gleams of sunshine occasionally light-
ing up the depths of Rothiemurchus Forest, and evolving
the richest colouring from the luxuriant heather and budding
birches. Can any one point to a more enchanting road
than that from Loch an Eilein to the lower bothy ? The
rich green of the Scotch firs, with the velvety richness of
the undergrowth, vied under the varying effects of light and
distance with the savage grandeur of the snow-clad moun-
tains and rocky ravine. But our musings were brought
to a sudden stop, for there was the actual boulder blocking
the way, and unless it could be moved, a long tramp was
before us. The whole party advanced to the attack under
the leadership of M*Intyre, and inch by inch the huge
boulder, some three tons or more, was elevated till it stood
on end, and an attempt to undercut it with axes from the
valley side was led by Douglas. Then, with cheering cry
from our veteran first President, the cream of the Club hurled
itself against the obstacle, and even the Hon. Secretary,,
enveloped in voluminous wraps, could be seen applying
some 12 stone of too solid flesh in the struggle. It moves!
Again ! again ! and over it goes, no more to obstruct the
road in our generation. It is sad to relate that Campbell
(like Nero) snapshotted the operations while the rest of the
party worked, and that Parker, when he heard of the twenty
minutes occupied in the effort, maintained that he would
have removed the obstacle in four minutes if he had
been there, with two navvies. From the lower bothy,.
Proceedings of the Club. 1 1 3
Campbell, M'Intyre, D. Ramsay, and Solly, crossing Coire
an Lochain, ascended Braeriach, while Prof. Ramsay, Clark>
and Douglas enjoyed an excellent time in or near the
corrie, and were rewarded by a 400 feet glissade. In the
corrie the remains of a recent avalanche were crossed, the
enormous blocks of ice and snow littering the ground to
the edge of the frozen loch. On the same day, Goggs,
Groves, Naismith, Nelson, J. A. Parker, and Thomson
broke the journey north at Blair Atholl, from which they
climbed the three peaks of Beinn a' Ghlo. The route
adopted was by the Shinagag road as far as the point
marked 1443 feet on the Ordnance Map, and thence straight
up Carn Liath, and from it via the middle peak to Carn
nan Gabhar. The descent from the latter was made due
south to the Allt Coire Lagain and back by the Shinagag
road. The weather was of the worst possible description,
and the expedition took eight and a half hours.
The hopes of the Club were set on Saturday, for several
parties had designs on the Sgoran Dubh cliffs, but the
weather was even worse, and made rock climbing arduous
and difficult.
Campbell, Byrne, Munro, and D. Ramsay climbed the
Fiacaill a Choire Chais and reached the top above Coire
Sneachda. Mackenzie and Macmillan led Ramsay and
Rennie to an elevation east of Geall Charn. Goodeve,
Moore, and Winterbotham crossed over to Garrachory, where
they had an excellent snow climb. Howie and Rose visited
Coire an Lochain. Goggs, with a large party, climbed
Bynac and Choinneach. Bums, Grove, and Nelson climbed
a snow gully on Sgoran Dubh, the second from the Pinnacle
Buttress. Rorie, with C. and H. Walker, had a severe time
on the Pinnacle Buttress ; and Clark, Parker, and Robertson
had a splendid climb into the steep corrie between the
second and third buttresses.
Sunday was a stormy day, with frequent snow showers.
Only one party went to the hills, Gibson, Goodeve, Moore,
and Winterbotham reporting a walk to the Larig very heavy
with deep snow. The various churches within eight miles
had deputations from the Club, and Dr Macmillan examined
the geology of Craigellachie with special reference to the
1 14 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
possibilities of foot and hand holds. Towards evening the
weather improved, but morning still showed blizzards on
the mountains. On Tuesday, Goggs, with Almond, Bums,
^ ' ' ' and Thomson, made a forced march to Sron na Leii^,
Braeriach, and Coire an Lochan, while Grove, Mackenzie,
M'Intyre, and Nelson reached Braeriach. Rennie and
party passed over Creag na Leacainn to Cairngorm, and
Douglas and Roth climbed the same mountain from Loch
Morlich. The ascent of the day was made by Moncrieff,
Robertson, and Rose under the leadership of Solly, when
a narrow arete north of the Married Men's Buttress was
climbed to near the top, the difficulties being of a high
order. Tuesday left but a small remnant with plans un-
settled by the continued bad weather.
Ewen Robertson and Raeburn held a supplementary
meet of the Club at Strathcarron. Leaving Aviemore
at 8.30 P.M. on Saturday, they reached Achnashellach
at 12.52. The weather conditions were of the worst de-
scription, and they merely made the tour round Fuar Tholl
by the pass between it and Sgurr Ruadh.
Next day An Ruadh Stac was traversed ; and on Monday,
despite the blizzards, the ascent of Sgurr Ruadh was made
by its fine east buttress from Coire Lair.
Here ends the tale of ascents, but the chronicler would
fail in his duty were he to omit mention of the entertain-
ments in the evening. An innovation was made in the
bringing up of a complete limelight lantern outfit with com-
pressed gas for three lectures. On Friday evening Douglas
led off with a lecture on his exploits in the Canadian
Rockies, the brilliance of many of his slides evoking much
applause. Thereafter A. E. Robertson showed a selection
of the Club slides, illustrating the Cairngorms and Ben
Alder. On Saturday evening the Easter Meet of 1903 at
Skye was brilliantly depicted, and some views of Suther-
land were shown. Thereafter the Hon. Secretary showed
slides taken during an ascent of Ben Lui, and finished with
about seventy Swiss views embracing the chief peaks in the
Pennine Alps. On Sunday evening Garden lectured on the
Canadian Rockies, and some views of Ben Nevis were
shown. The general feeling was one of satisfaction with
Proceedings of the Club. 1 1 5
these lantern lectures. On Saturday night the smoking-
room presented the unwonted spectacle of a Highland
gathering. Garden, Leslie, and D. Ramsay provided the
Club with Highland music, each on his own bagpipes.
Later, to the stirring strains of D. Ramsay, Prof. Ramsay
led an eightsome reel in which Munro, Parker, C. Walker,
Rorie, Roth, Gibson, and Garden took part. Subsequently
a foursome wound up the spectators to enthusiasm which
culminated in the singing of the well-known Club song.
The following attended the Meet : — Boyd, Bums, Campbell,
Clark, Douglas, Drummond, Garden, Gibson, Goggs, Good-
eVe, Howie, Mackenzie, Maclay, Macmillan, M*Intyre,
Meares, Moncrieff, Munro, Naismith, Nelson, Parker, Rae-
burn, Ramsay, Rennie, A. E. Robertson. Rose, Rorie, A.
Russell, Solly, Squance, G. Thomson, C. Walker, and H.
Walker — 33 members ; and G. Almond, Byrne, Drummond,
Grove, Leslie, Moore, J. D. Ramsay, Roth, and Winterbot-
ham— 9 guests.
COIRE AN T-SNEACHDA.
Friday, \st April, — Goodeve, Russell, and I on reaching
thecorrie thought the blizzard too fierce for serious rock work.
So working round the foot of a steep buttress we got into a
kind of open gully which took us easily up to within about
1 50 feet of the ridge. A fine rock pinnacle here showed up
well on our left, and the blizzard having moderated, we made
towards it. When cutting across a gully just beside it Rae-
burn's party were seenbelowus coming up. Itwas not judged
sportsman-like to pass in front of them, so traversing back
to our original line, we gained the ridge. The small cornice
was easily surmounted. Goodeve and I, after lunch, still
hankering after that pinnacle, retraced our steps for 150 feet
and climbed it A. E. ROBERTSON.
Friday, \st April, — Almond, Garden, Raeburn, and
Roth ascended up into Coire an t-Sneachda and climbed
the rocks of the north face. Owing to the lower part
of these rocks being too much iced, they traversed a little
to the right, and gained by a steep slanting snow-covered
Ii6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
ledge the foot of a fine little pinnacled ridge to the east of the
central gully. This was climbed to top of the corrie. They
descended by steep snow farther to east and got back to
Glenmore by about 3 r.M.
Raeburn carried his ski up to the snow, nearly 3,000
feet, and used them up to the foot of the buttress and down
again, but conditions were very unfavourable for their use,
the ground being almost bare of snow, a thin coating of ice
alternating with patches of drifted snow.
On Saturday, Munro, Byrne, D. Ramsay, and Camp-
bell proposed to visit the various tops of Cairngorm forming
the bulwarks of Coire Chais, Coire an t-Sneachda, and Coire
Lochain, Taking the usual luxurious method of reaching
Glen More Lodge, they attacked the first top by the Allt
Chais and the gentle slope between Coire Chais and
Coire an t-Sneachda, and after a steady grind over various
qualities of snow, reached the top of the Fiacaill ^ Choire
Chais (3,737) in a little over two hours from the Lodge.
The day was dull throughout, and as the higher levels were
reached, the wind gradually grew stronger until a regular
hurricane was found at the top. A convenient tor formed
of huge slabs of granite made a good place for lunch, but
as there seemed no hope of the weather improving, very
little time was spent here, and a rush was made for the top
of the Fiacaill Coire an t-Sneachda (3,856). This looked
well as it was approached in the driving mist and snow,
and on closer inspection maintained its reputation as a
distinct peak when compared with the usual rounded tops
of the district. The wind had now become so strong that
from time to time the whole party had to anchor in such
way as they could to avoid a wind glissade, and as the
weather conditions were more than disagreeable, it was
decided to abandon the other tops till a more convenient
season. D. S. Campbell.
On the 2nd April, Clark, Robertson, and myself explored
the fan-shaped corrie between the second and third but-
tresses of Sgoran Dubh, as far as the stormy weather would
permit us.
From the upper bothy in Glen Eunaich we crossed the
Proceedings of the Club, 117
stream just below the loch, and soon reached the foot of
the narrow gully which leads up into the corrie. This was
filled up with avalanche snow, evidently of recent date, the
surface of which was broken in two places by pitches of
smooth rocks which did not look at all feasible. To cir-
cumvent these, and also to keep out of the way of any
possible avalanche, we crossed over to the north side of the
couloir and climbed up a very steep grass gully, which was
separated from it by a rib of rock. At the top of the gully
we climbed out on to the rib of rock, and from its highest
point traversed without much trouble into the couloir, just
above the higher of the two pitches.
Viewed from this point the scene was extremely alpine,
the avalanche snow of the couloir looking like a miniature
glacier threading its way between the steep rock walls on
either side, and beyond these expanding into a snow basin,
from which rose the two rock buttresses which are the
principal features of the corrie. Either of these would
evidently give a first-class climb, but we did not care to
tackle one of them in the high wind which prevailed. We
looked for something shorter and more sheltered. A series
of small pinnacles at the foot of the north buttress looked
tempting, but on closer inspection seemed too simple.
Another small-pinnacled rib higher up to the right looked
better, and Clark essayed its ascent, encouraged by Robert-
son and myself, who assured him that it was quite easy,
absurdly so in fact. After getting up about ten feet, Clark
however seemed unable to make any farther progress, not-
withstanding our encouragements ; and, muttering some-
thing about scarcity of holds and abundance of wind, came
down and ordered us to cut steps up the snow to the
sky-line.
The angle of the snow slope was very steep, and at its
top we climbed out on to a broad snow ridge, which was evi-
dently the summit ridge of No. 2 Buttress. But we could
see nothing owing to the blinding snow-drift in which we
were enveloped the instant we left the corrie. The weather
was so bad that we made no attempt to reach the north
summit of Sgoran Dubh, but simply steered our way to its
north shoulder, and along it to a point where we could
Ii8 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
glissade down to the heather, just opposite the lower bothy
in Glen Eunaich. J. A. P.
On Easter Monday, Mackenzie, M*Intyre, and Nelson,
with J. Grove (guest), climbed from the upper bothy in
Loch Eunaich to the March Cairn (4,149 feet) of Braeriach
by Corrie Dhonndail. There was a considerable amount
of fresh snow lying in the hollows, but the strong winds of
the preceding days had swept the new snow clear on the
steeply inclined slopes leading to the col at the head of the
corrie. The fringe of the ridge above the col was heavily
corniced, with the exception of a small portion on the
north-east, and the route up was taken in that direction.
About an hour was spent in kicking and cutting steps up
to the col, and the cairn was reached in about two and a
half hours from the starting point.
On the descent (which was taken by same route as the
ascent) an attempt was made to get down into the corrie
by the rock ridge lying to the west of the col, but the rocks
were glazed and the footing precarious. Ultimately the
party cut down the slope by which they had gained the
col on the outward journey, and got back to the lower
bothy in the glen about 5 P.M. W. N.
On 4th April, Solly, A. E. Robertson, Rose, and Moncrieff
had an interesting climb on a ridge of Sgoran Dubh. The
ridge forms a rib of No. 2 Buttress, and is reached after
crossing the stream above the second bothy by moving
down stream a long quarter of a mile. It is the first of two
sharply defined ridges which lie immediately to the north
of the main gully. Solly, who was leader, proposes to
name it the Rose Ridge.
Soft snow led to the rocks where the party roped, say
at 2,100 feet. The ridge proved narrow throughout, with
steep pitches in places, but hitches were generally plentiful
and holds sufficient for the first 800 feet, when a comfort-
able col was reached. Thereafter the climbing became
much more difficult, three hours being taken to the next
200 feet. The first pitch above the col affords two routes^
both difficult, involving either that a very sharp angle shall
Proceedings of the Club. 119
be rounded or a jammed block surmounted. The leader
rounded the angle and the others tested the block. The
real difficulty of the climb was discovered immediately
before the party turned. Here the ridge shoots into a
pinnacle on the right, leaving on the left a narrow shelf
inclined at a steep angle. Holds are very rare for 50 or 60
feet, and of hitches there are none. With the help of the
rope the follower could scramble up, but if one who is not
a climber may speak, it was a wonderful piece of leading.
At this point it was found to be already 4 o'clock, and
as there was an easy traverse into the gully to the south,
we decided to descend. The ridge, so far as visible from
this point, appeared, however, to be easier than the pitch
last surmounted. The gully was packed with soft snow
which would not hold the steps, but globed together under
pressure, and made fair going, except for the last man.
About 200 feet down the party traversed a rock rib to
the south, and so into a second gully which joined the first
lower down. As the angle was steep and the snow in bad
condition, a traverse was then made on to the Rose Ridge,
and a useful chimney discovered for the last 70 feet. The
party unroped at 7 o'clock, and reached the bothy in time
for a drive in darkness through the forest. The hotel was
reached at 9.45.
In the opinion of the leader the ridge should be taken
by a strong party of three using 120 feet of rope. Owing
to the steepness of the gullies on either side, the climbing
is not sensational in proportion to its difficulty.
A. M.
Another Account of the same Expedition.
On 4th April, owing to a misunderstanding, my intended
companions did not meet me in Glen Eunaich, so I was
invited to join a party consisting of the Rev. A. E. Robertson
and Messrs A. Moncrieff and J. Rose. The face of Sgoran
Dubh was very white with new snow, and we went to the
second buttress uncertain what to attempt. The principal
corrie in the buttress, just north of the Married Men's Ridge,
looked unpromising, and after a little hesitation we decided
120 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
to attack a ridge just beyond a smaller gully lying north of
the corrie. This ridge comes farther down into the valley
than most of the others, and is distinguishable by two trees
growing out of it a little way up, and by a very conspicu-
ous wall of rock on the north side higher up. This wall is
well seen from the valley. We began climbing about ii
A.M., and climbed on with very little rest until after 4 P.M.
From an aneroid observation we think we were then at a
height of nearly 3,200 feet ; but it was too late to complete
the climb, so we traversed into the gully on the south, and
descended by the gully until near the bottom, when we
crossed the ridge, and reached the valley by a steep chimney
north of the ridge. We reached the lower bothy at 7.55
P.M., and Aviemore two hours later. The ridge is very
steep, and many of the pitches are very difficult and with-
out much hold, though possibly with less snow holds that
we missed might be discovered. We stopped just below a
very steep wall, with a vertical slit down the middle of it
I think this is climbable, but the rest of the ridge was
hidden. Just below where we stopped was, I thought, the
most difficult place. We had to get up some slanting
slabs with nothing much to hold by, except that for the
right arm there was a bulging-out piece of another slab a
little higher. To the left was a sheer drop.
Comparing this with other climbs that I know, it lacks
the interest of the scenery such as there is on some of the
Ben Nevis routes, but as a gymnastic climb I know nothing
in Great Britain to equal it for long and continuous interest.
Any party going to complete the climb should consist of
three persons only, with not less than 100 feet of rope.
We used 140 feet. At least two of the party should be
thoroughly experienced, and they should remember that
the descent by the gully might be more difficult or even
impracticable in the absence of snow. I do not think
that any one would descend some of the pitches on the
ridge as last man without a long hitched rope.
G. A. Solly.
Library and Clubroom. I2i
LIBRARY AND CLUBROOM.
Mrs Sharp (now of the Golf Hotel, Montrose) on leaving Sligachan
very kindly presented the Club with the Climbers* Book, in whose
pages had appeared interesting accounts of various climbs in the
Cuillins written by many hands. The Club Committee, bearing in
mind the probable wishes of climbers in general, decided to have a
type- written copy of the book made, and to lend this copy to the
present manager of the hotel for the use of all mountaineers. In order
to enable a stranger to the Cuillins to map out routes for himself, first
a four-inch map was added, then a complete guide-book by our Editor,
illustrated with photographs, and finally a number of descriptive
articles which have appeared in the pages of the S,M.C. Journal from
time to time. The new Climbers' Book will, it is hoped, be found a
veritable vade-mecum to Salvationists and Ultramontanes alike. The
following is the index of the book : —
Map of the Cuillins, 4 inches to the mile.
Guide Book.
Articles from S,M,C. Journal : —
Early Descriptions of Skye. Wm. Douglas.
Easter in the Cuillins (1892). J. H. Gibson.
The Coolins in 1896. W. Brown.
August at Sligachan (1898). G. Bennett Gibbs.
Notes, Geological and Topographical, on the Cuillin Hills, Skye.
Alfred Harker.
Song— Och ! The Coolin !
Photographs.
Copy of the original Climbers* Book.
Sir Arthur Mitchell has very kindly presented the Club with a
copy of his extremely useful and valuable " List of Travels and Tours
in Scotland, 1296- 1900."
The Appalachian Mountain Club, who, though hailing from the
New World, are about twice our age, have been good enough to
complete our set of their Journal.
To these, and all the other contributors to our Library, the Club
give their hearty thanks.
Mr Rickmers has very generously presented us with six pairs of
ski, to be lent free of charge to any S.M.C. men who desire to make
themselves acquainted with the art of skiing. They will be stored in
the Clubroom, and applications therefor must be made to the Hon.
Librarian in his capacity of Clubroom custodian.
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
The Climbers* Book, Sligachan - - - - Mrs Sharp.
M*Phun*s Scottish Land Tourist's Pocket Guide.
(1847) James Maclay.
Remarks on Dr Samuel Johnson's Journey to the
Hebrides. Rev. Donald M'Nicol, A.M. (1852) „
122 The Scottish, Mountaineering Club Journal.
Climbs and Exploration in the Canadian Rockies.
Hugh E. M. Stutfield and J. Norman Collie,
F.R.S. (1903) J. Norman Collie.
The Gaelic Topography of Scotland. Colonel
James A. Robertson, F.S.A. Scot. (1869) - Purchased.
A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, and of
the Islands in the British Seas. Nicholas
Carlisle, z vols. (1813) - . - - „
List of Travels and Tours in Scotland, 1296 to
1900. Sir Arthur Mitchell, K.C.B., M.D.,
LL.D. (1902) Sir Arthur Mitchell.
From Elgin to Ben Macdhui. i^mo. {Elgin,
1893.) F- Davie, pp. 41 ■ - - - J. Gall Inglis,
Gaelic Dictionary. Neil M'Alpine. loth Edition Purchased.
Murray's Handbook for Travellers in Scotland.
8th Edition. (1903) - - - - Scott-Moncrieff Penney,
The Literature of the Highlands. Magnus Mac-
lean, M.A. (1904) Purchased.
Arran, and how to see it. Kev. David Lands-
borough. 5th Edition. (1901.) pp. 54 - „
A Sketch of the Geology of Fife and the Lothians,
including Detailed Descriptions of Arthur's
Seat and Pentland Hills. Charles Maclaren.
{1839)
Do. do. do. 2nd Edition. (1866) „
A Tnnntrraphical Dictionary of Scotland. David
:r. (1817)
on to the Highlands of Scotland and
glish Lakes. J. Maivman. (1805) - „
ant in the Hielans. Andrew Lyell,
3rd Edition. (1881) ... „
;he Western Hebrides from 1782-1790.
ihn L. Buchanan, A.M. (1793) - „
Scotland by an Unusual Route, &c.
imes Hall, A.M. 2 vols. (1807) - „
if Loch Awe, and other Poems. P. G.
ton. (1859)
Alexander Nicolson, LL.D. ; with
r by Waller C. Smith, D.D. (1893) - „
View of the Agriculture of Aberdeen-
Geo. Skene Keith, D.D. (1811)
tains an account of the ascent in 1810
■a-bourd, Benavon, Breriach, Caimtoul,
agar, Ben Mac Douie, Caimgorum,&c.)
and Scenery of the North of Scotland,
Lev. Chas. Cordiner. (1780) - . „
Library and Clubroom,
The Beauties of Scotland. 5 vols. (1805) -
The Geology of the Island of Arran. A. C. Ram-
say. (1841)
Three Weeks with Dr Candlish : a Highland
Tour. (1845.) 2nd Edition. (1874) -
A Sporting Tour through the Northern Parts of
England and Great Part of the Highlands of
Scotland, 1804. Col. T. Thornton. New
Edition. (1896)
The Topographical, Statistical, and Historical
Gazetteer of Scotland. A. Fullarton & Co.
2 vols. (1847)
The Traveller's Guide through Scotland and its
Islands. 7th Edition. Vol. I. (1818)
A General Description of the East Coast of Scot-
land from Edinburgh to CuUen. Francis
Douglas. (1782)
A Journey to the Highlands of Scotland, with
Occasional Remarks on Dr Johnson's Tour.
By a Lady (Mary Ann Hanway). {circa 1776)
The Scottish Tourist's Portable Guide to the Great
Highland Tour, &c. Edited by Wm. Rhind.
{circa 1848)
Travels through England, Wales, and Scotland, in
the year 18 16. Dr S. H. Spiker. 2 vols. (1820)
Journal of a Tour from London to Elgin, made
about 1790, &c. R. L. W(illis). (1897)
Leaves from a Journal ; or, Sketches of Rambles
in North Britain and Ireland. Andrew Bige-
low. (1824)
Journal of a Tour and Residence in Great Britain
during the years 18 10 and 181 1. By a French
Traveller (L. Simond). 2 vols. (181 5)
A Descriptive Tour in Scotland. Rev. C. H.
Townshend. (1846)
German and Austrian Alpine Club. Year- Book
for 1903
Appalachia. Vols. V. to IX. incl. and Vol. X.
Nos. I and 2
(Completing our set of this Journal.)
Principal Excursions of the Innerleithen Alpine
Club during the years 1889-94. (1897)
A Historical and Descriptive View of the County
of Northumberland, and of the Town and
County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with Berwick-
upon-Tweed and other Celebrated Places on
the Scottish Border. VoL IL (i8ii) -
123
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Purchased.
»
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>?
11
11
»
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»
»
»
»
>»
Exchanged.
Appalachian
Mountain Club.
W. Douglas.
Adam Smail.
124 '^^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
By whom presented
(when not pnrchased).
Menzies' Tourist's Pocket Guide for Scotland. (1853) Adam Smail.
Black's Picturesque Tourist Guide Book through
England and Wales. 2nd Edition. (1850)-
Picturesque Guide to the Isle of Wight.
5th Edition. (1872)
Murray's Handbook for Egypt. (1847)
Handbook for Algeria and Tunis. 2nd Edi-
tion. (1878)
Handbook for Turkey in Asia and Constanti-
nople. 4th Edition. (1878) - - - -
Handbook for Russia, Poland, and Finland.
3rd Edition. (1875)
Handbook for Portugal. 3rd Edition. (1875)
Handbook for Spain. 5th Edition. (1878) -
Baedeker's Southern Germany and Austria. 3rd
Edition. (1873)
Switzerland. 7th Edition. (1877)
Belgium and Holland. 5th Edition. (1878)
Rhine. 8th Edition. (1882)
Northern Germany. 6th Edition. (1877) -
Norway and Sweden. (1879) - - -
Shetland, Descriptive and Historical. Robert
Cowie, M.A., M.D. 2nd Edition. (1874) -
God's Treasure-House in Scotland : a History of
Times, Mines, and Lands in the Southern
Highlands. Rev. J. Moir Porteous. (1876) -
History of the Town and Castle of Dumbarton.
John Glen. (1847)
A Visit to the Western Coast of Norway. W. Wit-
tich. (1848)
The Queen's Drive : a descriptive Poem of
Arthur's Seat and surrounding District.
Cessford R. S. Fairiey. (1895) -
Dollar : Past and Present. John Tait. (1894) -
Remarks on Forest Scenery and other Woodland
Views. By Wm. Gilpin, A.M. Edited by Sir
Thomas Dick Lauder, Bart. 2 vols. (1834)
The Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. XIX.
(1903)
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J. Rennie.
MAP.
Travelling Map of Scotland. (Edinburgh, pub-
lished by P. Hill & Co. ; no date, but about
1820) James Maclay.
PHOTOGRAPH.
Bidean nam Bian, from the north-east -
J. Norman Collie.
I
S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
THE BRAES OF ANGUS.
(Division II. Group VII.)
Lat., 56" 51' to 56' 58' N. Long., 2" 45' to t; 24' W.
Ordnance Survey Maps, one-inch scale, Sheets 65 and 66.
Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance Survey Maps, Nos. 16
and 17.
In the following list those mountains marked with a *
are only named on the six-inch Ordnance Survey maps.
Their heights also are from the six-inch map, except that
of No. 8, which is from an aneroid measurement by the
writer.
1. Mount Battock, 2,555 feet, is the eastern extremity of the groups
I mile S.E. of the Forfar- Kincardine- Aberdeen march.
2. Hill of Cat, 2,435 feet, 4 miles W.N.W. of No. i.
3. Braid Cairn, 2,907 feet, i mile east of No. 4.
4. Mount Keen, 3,077 feet, on the watershed between Glen Tanner
and Glen Mark.
5. Broad Cairrty ^26Z feet.
6. Craig of Gowal^ 3,027 feet,
7. Cairn of Gowal^ 12^2 feet. i
8. Creag an Dubh Loch* 3,100 feet^
approximate height.
9. Cairn Bannoch, 3,31 4 yi*//.
10. Fafemie^ %Tj^feet.
11. Tolmount, 3,143 feet, head of Glen Callater.
12. Crow Craigies* 3,014 feeti (dealt with in last No, of*^fournal").
13. Tom Buidhe, 3,140 feet, head of Glen Doll.
14. Mayar, 3,043 feet, head of Glen Prosen, 2 miles west of No. 15.
15. Driesh, 3,105 feet, 3J miles west of Milton of Clova.
16. Cairn na Glasha, 3,484 feet, head of Glenisla.
17. Druim M6r,* 3,144 feet, i mile south by west of No. 16.
18. Cam an Tuirc, 3,340 feet, 2J miles south of Loch Callater.
19. Glas Maol, 3,502 feet, head of Glenisla.
t These heights do not agree with those given in the preWous number.
These have been dealt
with in the last No.
of the ''foumaV
126 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
2a Meall Odhar, 3,019 feet, j mile N.W. of No. 19.
21. Little Glas Maol,* 3,184 feet, south of Caenlochan Glen, j mile
S.E. ofNo. 19.
22. Creag Leacach, 3,238 feet, 1^ miles S.S.W. of No. 19.
23. Carn Aighe, 2,874 feet, i mile S.W. of No. 22.
The upper waters of the Dee have cut a deep valley
extending far into the most elevated mass of land in
Britain. That part lying to the north is now known as
the Cairngorm Mountains, while the portion to the south,
an only slightly inferior range, is known in its different
parts as the Lochnagar Range and the Braes of Angus.
The latter may be considered to commence with Mount
Battock in the east, one mile south-east of the point where
the counties of Forfar, Kincardine, and Aberdeen join, and,
throwing off subsidiary ranges to the south-east, to extend
in a generally west-south-west direction to the Cairnwell
road, one and a half miles west of the meeting-point of
Foffar, Perth, and Aberdeen. From Mount Battock the
watershed of the Dee and North Esk takes a westerly
direction through the Hill of Cat, the Braid Cairn (not to
be confused with the Broad Cairn) to Mount Keen. This
is the easternmost mountain in Scotland to attain an ele-
vation of 3,000 feet, and widely isolated from anything
approaching it in height, it commands a most extensive
and varied panorama. It is, moreover, crossed on its
western side, at less than 600 feet below its summit, by the
ifell-defined right-of-way path up Glen Tanner and down
lien Mark and Glen Esk to Tarfside and Edzell. There
i also a track from Ballater, which, however, becomes very
ndistinct before joining the Glen Tanner path.
Beyond Mount Keen the watershed, which becomes
ery featureless, turns south-west and then south for a dis-
ance of ten miles, when it again turns north-west, and a
nile farther on is crossed, almost at its lowest part, by the
^apel path leading from Kirriemuir to Ballater by Clova
nd Glen Muick. The top of the pass is about 2,250 feet
bove the sea, and there is a good track for the seven miles
Dr which driving is impracticable. From here a subsidiary
ange, averaging just below 3,000 feet in height, branches
iff to the south-east and extends for some miles, forming
Tie Brma tf yfl^acs.
127
of
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wc fSviuc
Esfa. and enoasiiig t.
the laiger T jri* 7/y J ' ^saJag -ae I>ag
nodi and F afciiiir anf fhffTr juxotjc vjz^. viihx tXK Sat ^
tiie Edimr Ibb Trr-'mrirr n: 'HE: l^KZHsagar summhi. ^itya^
Tc
:, ran n: vrarx let ine ^.niuL
51
Toi
TiB soinr aac Kor rrjc« is -ne
«.-'
A milt xc
must!
^•■^'^ ^ •^^^^^'^ ' *^ -^r « •^ *" •^ ^•'^^^^ ^r^ ^ ^ ^"^^ •
■ ■■■■!■
^ - - - -T -
e::
Ol isfrr:
^ £■
oc
J
128 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
though round-topped, is a fine hill, especially as seen from
Glen Callater.
The highest point of the whole range, excepting the
Lochnagar summits, is the Glas Maol, one and three
quarter miles to the south-west of Cairn na Glasha.
Although actually situated in Forfarshire, the point where
the three counties of Forfar, Perth, and Aberdeen meet is
only one-quarter mile north-west of the summit, and nine-
teen feet below it ; while at the same distance to the east,
at a height of 3,300 feet, the mountain is crossed by the
right-of-way path from Glenisla to Braemar. This is by
far the highest public path in the United Kingdom. Strik-
ing up a little beyond the Tulchan Lodge, it crosses Monega
Hill, 2,917 feet, the Little Glas Maol, finely situated on the
crags to the south of Caenlochan Glen, and the Glas Maol,
and joins the driving road some two miles beyond the
Cairnwell Pass, or eight miles from Braemar. Near the
summit of the path, and only a little way below the top of
the Glas Maol, a strong and deliciously clear and cool spring
forms one of the main sources of the Isla. The mountain is so
round-topped that, extensive as the view is, it can scarcely
all be seen without walking round the summit. Three-
quarters of a mile to the north-west a shoulder named
Meall Odhar forms a distinct but entirely uninteresting top
above the carriage road.
From the Glas Maol a ridge runs off to the south-west,
forming the narrow and stony Creag Leacach, a fine-look-
ing hill when viewed from the south, but of no interest to
climbers. The last point of any importance is Cam Aighe
— locally pronounced Cairn Etch — the ridge beyond this
crosses Carn an Daimh, 2,449 f'^^^* from which it drops to
the valley at the Spital of Glenshee. Beyond the Glas
Maol, across the Cairnwell road, the range is continued
in Perthshire to the west, and these mountains will be
noticed in the next number of the Journal.
With the exception of the south faces of the Mayar
and Driesh, which, are under grouse, the whole of
hese mountains are in deer forest, though, as indicated,
bere are several well-established right-of-way paths,
b,: —
f
The Braes of Angus. 129
1. Edzell to Aboyne or Ballater by Tarfside, Lochlee,
and Glen Tanner.
2. Kirriemuir to Ballater by Clova, "the Capel," and
Glen Muick.
3. Kirriemuir to Braemar by Clova, Glen Doll, and
Glen Callater ; and
4- Glenisla to Braemar by the Tulchan and Glas Maol.
Lochs and Streams.
There are fewer lochs among these mountains than in
almost any mountainous region in the country, and the
scenery sufTers accordingly.
1. Loch Lee, 900 feet, lies to the south of Mount Keen, and flows
into the North £sk.
2. Loch Brandy, 2,070 feet ; and
3. Loch Wharral, 2,050 feet, wild mountain tarns above Clova, flow
into the South £sk.
4. Loch Esk, 2,417 feet, is a small tarn from which flows the South
Esk. It is situated east of the Tolmount.
5. Loch Muick, 1,310 feet, is a fine sheet of water in Glen Muick.
Above it to the north of the Broad Cairn is,
6. The Dubh Loch, 2,100 feet (approximately), sombre and wild.
7. Loch Caenn Mor, 2,196 feet (approximately), lies in a grassy cup
to the east of Cam an Tuirc ; and
8. Loch Callater, 1,627 feet, is in Glen Callater.
Space precludes a description of all the streams in the
district. A glance at the map shows that the general trend
of the rivers is north-east and south-east, and that wher-
ever, on the south side of the range, there is any consider-
able south-east flowing stream it is balanced on the north side
by one flowing north-east. Thus the Aven and the Feugh,
which drain the north side of Mount Battock and the Hill
of Cat, and join the Dee at Banchory, are balanced on the
south by the Tarf, which joins the North Esk at Tarfside.
The Water of Tanner on the north corresponds with the
Water of Mark on the south, which between them drain
Mount Keen. The Muick on the north, and the South
Esk on the south, cut deep into the range at its lowest part
near the Capel. The Prosen flowing from the south slopes of
the Mayar and Driesh, joins the South Esk at Cortachy, and
130 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
has nothing corresponding with it to the north. The Isla
flows almost due south, while its corresponding river on the
north side of the range, the Callater, has a north-west course
to Braemar.
Hotels and, Routes.
Hotels are to be found on the south side of the range at
Edzell (lodgings at Tarfside), Clova, Kirkton of Glenisla,
and Spital of Glenshee. The hotel at Inchmill in Glen
Prosen is now closed. There is, however, a small hotel
(beer license) at Dykehead, five miles from Kirriemuir, at
the entrance to Glen Prosen, but this is not near enough to
the hill to be of much use.
On the north side of the range the only hotels which
will be of service to the climber are at Braemar, Ballater,
and possibly Aboyne. Although the distances look con-
siderable on the map, there is no summit in the district
which is beyond the limits of a winter day's walk, and the
writer has frequently ascended several in the day in mid-
winter crossing from one side of the range to the other.
Mount Keen is easiest ascended from Tarfside or
Ballater.
The Driesh and Mayar, from Clova or Dykehead,
although with the help of a bicycle both can be easily done
in a short day from Kirriemuir.
The Broad Cairn from Clova via Glen Esk.
Cairn Bannoch either from Clova by Glen Esk, or from
Braemar by Glen Callater.
The Tolmount and Tom Buidhe, from Clova by Glen
Doll, or from Braemar by Glen Callater.
Carn na Tuirc and Cairn na Glasha, from Braemar ;
and
The Glas Maol, from the Spital of Glenshee.
It seems unnecessary to give further directions as to
route.
Climbs.
There are none. The hills are round-topped and grass-
covered, with luxuriant heather on their lower slopes, and
there is not one to the top of which a pony could not be
The Braes of Angus, 13I
taken. So elevated and flat is the range that a straight line
of ten miles could be drawn from Creag Leacach to the
Meikle Pap of Lochnagar, and, except for about half a mile
on each side of the Tolmount, the elevation is everywhere
above 3,000 feet, while even at these points it only falls to
2,863 feet, and a dogcart could almost be driven the whole
way. Sir Archibald Geikie (" Scenery of Scotland," p. 195)
says : ** Allusion has already been made to the remarkable
flat-topped moorlands which in the eastern Grampians
reach heights of 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea. These
lofty plateaux descend sometimes by craggy precipices,
sometimes by steep declivities, into the deep glens that
traverse them . . . not less striking examples are found
among the schists. The mountains at the head of Glen Esk
and Glen Isla, for instance, sweep upwards into a broad moor
some 3,000 feet above the sea, the more prominent parts of
which have received special names — Driesh, Mayar, Tom
Buidhe, Tolmount, Cairn na Glasha. It would hardly be
an exaggeration to say that there is more level ground on
the tops of these mountains than in areas of corresponding
size in the valleys below."
Rock faces exist, and scrambling could be got, but
except on Lochnagar I am not aware that any climbs have
been recorded. For those who are ambitious to try, the
following places may be recommended : —
Glen Doll, especially Craig Rennet, a bold bluff on the
south-west side ; the crags to the north of the Broad Cairn
and Creag an Dubh Loch ; the crags on the Tolmount en-
circling the head of Glen Callater, and the Crags of Druim
Mdr in Caenlochan.
Geology and Botany.
rding to Mr Hinxman*s most instructive and useful
{Journal, Vol. V., pp. 282 et seq.\ the Glas Maol,
na Glasha, and the Tolmount consist of granite, the
^nd Driesh of schistose rocks, while the Broad Cairn,
nnoch, and Mount Battock are granite.
■*■— regrets that he can give no particulars as to
'"»e district, which, however, is probably the
132 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
richest in Scotland in rare Alpine plants — Clova, the head
of Glenisla, and Glen Prosen being all favourite haunts of
the botanist.
As might be inferred from the character of the country,
the rainfall is less than in almost any other hilly district in
Scotland,
References.
Articles or Notes dealing with the district, exclusive of
Lochnagar, have appeared in the Journal as follows : —
Vol. I., p. 20 el seq.
„ 98 el seq.
Vol. Vt p. 145-
Vol. VIII., p. 49 «M*?.
H. T. MUNRa
EXCURSIONS.
The Editor will be glad to receive brief notices of any noteworthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles^ but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no difficulty in imparting information
in the other form,
Ben Chonzie on Ski. — Having been disappointed in my hopes
of ski-running at the Christmas Meet, I resolved to seize the oppor-
tunity of fine weather on Saturday, 12th March, and took an early
train to Crieff. By 10 A. M. I was clear of the village, where to my
surprise and delight the sight of a pair of ski did hot gather a mob,
and walking at a fair pace up towards Loch Turret reached a bridge
over the stream about three-quarters of a mile below the loch at 11.20.
Immediately on the other side of the stream snow was lying in patches
among the heather, and was so soft that I sank into the knees, and
decided, in spite of the heather patches, to put on the ski at once. In
five minutes or so I was on tolerably unbroken snow, and making my
way up towards the large hollow which leads to the summit ridge
parallel to Loch Turret. These slopes were fairly steep and neces-
sitated many zigzags. Near the top, following always the direction
where the snow was most favourable, I followed a pretty and steep
traverse at the top of the rocky slopes overlooking Loch Turret, and
arrived about i p.m. at the first cairn on Cam Chois, 2,571 feet.
Through occasional rifts in the slight fog I could just make out the
second cairn a few hundred yards away, and on the farther side of this,
continuing in approximately the same direction, had a magnificent shoot
down to the dip between this point and Ben Chonzie. The top of the
latter, if it can be said to have one, is unfortunately of such an ex-
pansive nature that it is really impossible, at any rate without map and
compass, to locate the summit cairn in a fog. I plugged on my hardest
up gentle and unbroken snow slopes for twenty-five minutes, but
apparently arrived at 2.25 not at the summit, though from below it
seemed to be so, but at a point a little to the south-west, which subse-
quent reference to the map has shown to be less than 100 feet below
the top. Being pressed for time I had reluctantly to return. The
slope down to the little col which had taken nearly half an hour's hard
work in the ascent, was descended at an apparently very gentle pace
in four minutes, and the route of the ascent followed in the main to the
starting point at the stream, which was reached in i^ hours including
halts. The snow throughout the day was in ideal condition, and the
hills, although quite uninteresting from the climber's point of view, are
perfect for ski-running. Ben Chonzie being very broad and flat-topped
134 ^-^ Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
has a large area above the 2,000 contour, and being situated in a
district of pretty heavy rainfall, usually carries a good deal of Sliow till
quite late in the season. A pleasant variation of this trip would be a
traverse from Crieff to Comrie, or vice versa^ or the complete circuit
of the hills around Loch Turret. J. H. Wigner.
The Glen Finnan and Loch Avlort Hills.— It is now two
or three years since the West Highland Railway have opened the
extension of their line from Fort- William to Mallaig, yet no paper on
the district thus opened up has been contributed to \^t Journal, The
reason is perhaps not so far to seek. For the rock climber these hills
present very little opportunity for the exercise of his sport ; for the
collector of the 3,000-foot records there is but little for him to seize.
But for the lover of pure wild, even if waste and rather dreary scenery,
this is a grand country. Though the landscape is beautiful and wild,
yet there is apt to be a depressing element in the view. It is to meet,
or better help to meet, these deficiencies that the writer has ventured
to take up his pen. In 1901 some excursions were made amongst the
hills to the north of Loch £il, whilst stopping at Glen Finnan Hotel.
One hot day we walked up Glen Finnan until we reached the
summit of the saddle between the Streaps and Sgor Choileam, about
1,600 feet high. From thence a steep but easy ascent led to the top
of the latter hill. At the top there was a magnificent view to the north
over Sgor na Ciche. The great heat haze quite obscured Ben Nevis
and all its snows. Although we had found much snow forming the
cap of this Ben a few days previously, these hills bore very little
indeed. The time of the year was Easter. From here the ridge was
followed to the top of Sgor Coireachan, 3,133 feet. All along this ridge
on the north side overlooking Glen Pean climbing is to be obtained,
but, as viewed from above, it is doubtful if this would ever repay the
trouble of getting there. There is one point about the rocks which
form the summits of these hills. They contain a large number of
common garnets, which we knocked out of the rocks with our ice-axes.
This is the only place in Scotland where I have observed them. The
descent was made and the hotel reached via Glen Finnan, so closing a
most enjoyable and easy day. Our next expedition was from Kinloch
Eil up Glen Fionnlighe. There is a most gorgeous track up the first part
of this glen, but later it becomes lost. Farther up we found that the
place marked on the map Stronlea existed no more. Just above this
point two bums join, one coming from each side of Gulvain, whose
main ridge runs nearly north and south. We followed the western
bum, AUt a Choire Reidh, and then ascended the flank of Gulvain,
coming out at the southern summit, 3,148 feet. The ridge joining the
two summits is narrow, though it offers no impediment to walking.
But it explains the very fine appearance that this hill presented early
one morning in 1898, when, with Messrs Munro and Penny, I was
ascending into the big northem corrie of Ben Nevis, The dip between
the summits sinks to the level of about 2,850 feet, whence an easy
Excursions, 135
gradient lands one on the real top of the mountain, 3,224 feet high,
the monarch of this district. This hill and the neighbouring Streaps
present narrow ridges, with steep flanks of rock and grass, but none
offer any climbing in the hands-and-feet sense of the word ; though,
be it remembered, that the excursion amply repays the hill lover. We
descended eastward from the col between the tops to the pass between
Glen Fionnlighe and Glen Mallie, 800 feet. Thence ascending to
the depression between Meall Onfhaidh and Meall a Phubuill, about
1,200 feet, we descended to Glen Suileag, and so to Fassifem on Loch
Eil, and home to Fort- William. These were the two more noteworthy
expeditions.
Round Loch Shiel the hills are of less elevation, the highest being
2,895 feet ^*&^> siJ^d the generality about 2,400. They frequently
present sharp tops, and everywhere wild rugged sides. But the
roughness is rather that of irregularity of outline, like that of the Braes
of Balquhidder, rather than that of rock. I do not think that climbing
worth the trouble of getting there will be found amongst them.
At Easter 1903 I had the opportunity of visiting Kinloch Aylort,
the station beyond Glen Finnan. I had seen the sharp-pointed pro-
minent hills to the south of it from a distance, and was correspondingly
urgent to make their acquaintance. So, on the very day of arrival, we
followed the track south of Loch Aylort to the point marked on the
map Bealach Breac, 299 feet, from which we ascended it by a cir-
cuitous and toilsome route, much troubled by having to circumvent
deep-cut lateral branches of the glen on the opposite side, and arrived
at the foot of the squarely-cut rocky mass of An Stac. It did not take
us long to reach the summit, whence unfortunately the mist and cold
soon compelled us to retire without even having seen a single one of
the mountains we had come to explore. The height of An Stac we
estimated to be about 2,650 feet.
Two days later we passed the farm at the head of Loch Aylort,
and found our way through the bogs by the Allt a Bhuiridh into the
Choire of the same name. The day was fine, but every half-hour
there was a tremendous storm of wind and hail. Fortunately this
was dry, and we could shelter from it without getting cold. Slowly we
wound round the base of An Stac to the col (1,800 feet) between it
and Frosven, the highest of the Loch Aylort Hills. Here the mist
enclosed us for the next two hours, completely prohibiting any high-
level observations. The ascent from the col is up a fairly narrow easy
ridge, which reaches the main east-to-west watershed of the range about
half-way between Frosven on the west and Sgurr na ba Glaise on the east.
There are two summits on Frosven of nearly the same height, 2,876
feet. Having passed over these, we descended down steep snow
slopes to the track along the southern side of Loch Aylort Here the
weather was warm, sunny, and everything that was delightful, a great
comparison to what we had experienced on the summit of Frosven.
Other expeditions were quite as unsatisfactory for finding out the
character of these hills. There are rocky faces. Sgurr na ba Glaise
XLIV. D
1 36 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
presents a small one towards the north, and in the clear moments
there seemed to be a gully running up this face. It was filled with
snow, except about half-way up and near the top. If any climber is
at Kinloch Aylort, I would suggest his going straight up the Choire a
Bhuiridh to this peak at the head of it The height is 2,817 feet
At the eastern end of the range is Druim Fiaclach, 2,851 feet.
This I did not explore, but saw that it had sloping flanks, with a ter-
minal crest of rocks. Also, the cartographer has inserted on the map
a curious shading as though it was a case of "'ware cliffs." This line
does not seem to follow a ridge, but meanders about corries in an
apparently irresponsible way. As to its meaning, I cannot offer any,
and hope that further light may be shed upon this and similar carto-
graphical hieroglyphics by other members of the Club.
With respect to the southern side of these hills I am absolutely
ignorant, being permitted only to see the intangible greyness of the
mist there. But judging from other hills in the neighbourhood, it is
to be expected that their northern faces are the most craggy, therefore
I should not expect much from the unseen slopes of these hills. Taken
as a group, there are four outstanding hills worthy, if they had attained
3,000 feet, of being considered separate mountains. As it is, their
heights are — Frosven, 2,876 feet; Druim Fiaclach, 2,851 feet; Sgurr
na ba Glaise, 2,817 feet ; and An Stac, 2,650 feet The first three
are situated on a ridge running east and west, with Frosven on the
west end and Druim Fiaclach on the east The ridge of An Stac
is projected out towards the north from a point midway between
Frosven and Sgiirr na ba Glaise. It becomes in consequence far the
most prominent feature of these hills as viewed from the railway.
It will be seen that these Aylort Hills agree with those of Glen
Finnan in affording little work for the rock climber, but their shape
and individuality impress themselves strongly on the hill wanderer.
Edred M. Corner.
Sligachan Inn. — This inn is now in the hands of workmen, so
that during the month of May some discomforts might be experienced
by visitors. The improved conditions will be much appreciated.
I have made the following arrangements with the manager : —
From 1 6th September to 30th June the following tariff shall
apply, viz. : — Complete board, including afternoon tea and such baths
as may be available, 8s. per day ; from ist July to 15th September
9s. per day.
These terms apply only to members of the S.M.C. or to friends
accompanying them. They do not apply to climbers who are not in
company with the members of the S.M.C. W. Inglis Clark.
KiNGSHOUSE Hotel, Glencoe.— I have made the following
arrangements, viz. : — For complete board and afternoon tea, 5 s. 6d. per
day to parties staying three days. There is only one mail per week
(Thursdays) from 15th September to ist June. W. INGLIS CLARK.
Excursions. 137
2 Spenser Street, Victoria Street,
London, S.W., wth January 1904.
Dear Douglas, — It may interest the Club to know the alterations
and additions to the Ordnance Survey Map of Skye. I enclose list of
corrected heights in Skye : —
Sgurr Alasdair 3»309
Sgurr Dearg (pinnacle) - - - - 3,254
Sgurr Ghreadaidh 3ii97
Sgurr Dubh Mor 3)089
Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn - - - - 3,069
Sgurr Mhic Choinnich Z^^^l
Sgurr a' Mhadaidh (W.) - . - - 3,014
,) « (E.) .... 2,970
Bidein Druim na Ramh (S.W.) - - - 2,900
(N.E.) . - - 2,870
Loch Coir a' Ghrunnda . - - - 2,300
• „ an Lochan ii9oo
„ Lagan 1,845
On the mainland of Ross-shire, in the new quarter-inch map,
Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, heretofore given no height, 3,327.
The new six-inch maps of the Cairngorms are also much improved
in the cliff drawing, and in giving correct names. The six-inch in
Skye have inserted a good many new names and altered some others.
They give Clach Glas as Glac Glas, which is rather absurd, as it
means " grey ravine." The shepherd who used to herd Blaven (the
new name in Ordnance Survey as against Blath Bheinn), called it An
Stac, and the peak marked An Stac in Ordnance Survey he called
Stac nan Eun, or bird's stack. — Yours sincerely,
Colin B. Phillip.
PS, — The shepherd mentioned, also called the Corrie on Blaven
which is drained by the Allt Dunaiche, Coire nan Easgeasgain.
The Annual Dinner of the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club
took place in the Hotel Metropole, Leeds, on 13th February, when
over seventy gentlemen were present. The S.M.C. was represented
by the Hon. Sec, on whom devolved the honourable toast of ** The
Yorkshire Ramblers' Club." The various speakers during the evening
referred to the S.M.C. in the warmest terms, and cordial greetings were
entrusted to our representative. W. Inglis Clark.
Sligachan Climbers' Book.— The old Climbers' Book was pre-
sented to the Club by Mrs Sharp. A type-written copy has been
made, and bound up with articles from the Journal^ photographs, and
the whole Guide Book material referring to the Coolins. These
together form a handsome volume, which will be placed in the custody
of the manager of Sligachan Inn for the use of all climbers. Blank
pages are left for further notes ; but it is hoped that such notes will be
138 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
confined to accounts. of new climbs or variations, or to such infor-
mation regarding old climbs as will be of use or interest to climbers at
large. All climbers are requested to see that the book is returned to
the manager after perusal, and is not left lying about to be defaced or
destroyed. W. Inglis Clark.
LIFE MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION.
St Vincent Place,
Glasgow, 29/A March 1904.
D£AR Mr Editor, — As you are good enough to ask for a sug"-
gestion as to the sum which the Club should charge for commutation
of the annual subscriptions, I would propose that —
(i) an original member should be allowed to commute for - ;^5 5 o
(2) a member of ten years' standing „ „ - 7 7 o
(3) a member of five years' standing „ „ -990
(4) a new member, excluding entry money „ - 1 1 1 1 o
I have read with interest the correspondence on the subject in the
Journal for January, and on comparing the above with the schemes
proposed by the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer, I
observe that my suggestion practically forms a compromise between
them.
The method at which I have arrived at the commutation prices for
new members is as follows : — Taking the average of new members at
entry to be thirty, and assuming that they remain with the Society for
25 years, the value of the subscription calculated on a 3^ per cent,
basis amounts to ;£ii. 12s'.
Under the scheme I propose the original member and the member
of five years' standing would both have contributed ;^I3. i is. 6d. — I am,
yours truly, N. B. GuNN.
Rhubmore, Murrayfield,
28M March 1904.
Dear Mr Editor, — I got your post-card on Saturday evening.
I think the Treasurer's proposals as to Life Membership, &c., should
be adopted.
I am very sorry I will not be at Aviemore at the end of the week
as I had hoped. I trust you will have a good time. — Yours very truly,
Walter A. Smith.
THE SCOTTISH
Vol. VIII. September 1904. No. 45.
GARBH-BHEINN OF ARDGOUR AND THE
NORTH-EAST RIDGE OF AONACH BEAG.
By W. Inglis Clark.
The termination of the Easter Meet of the Club usually
ushers in a ** winter of our discontent." The holiday,
long looked forward to, is oyer, and soon thereafter our
" thousand Bens " shed their snowy garments, and reveal
themselves in rugged rough or grassy slopes according to
their nature. But at the time when the corries of Braeriach
resounded last Easter with the voices of Club men, my wife
and daughter were learning skiing on Ben Nevis under the
able tuition of Herr Rickmers, who has been called th^
" ApQstle Paul of Skiing." When, therefore, Aviemore was
once more deserted, strong voices called me to Fort- William,
where, after a week, I gravitated. I may at once relieve
the minds of members by saying that I did not ascend the
Ben, and that my tale, if it may be told, does not describe
more routes on that beloved mountain. I was on the loose
as it were, and the adjunct of a motor seemed to open up
possibilities of more distant expeditions, two of which at
least may be worthy of special reference.
Garbh'Bheinn of Ardgour, — The name brings up before
us our last Meet at Ballachulish, when this exalted peak at
sunrise or sunset beckoned to us across the wide stretch of
waters, positively haunting us with its graceful form. Last
New Year its attractions were again pointedly brought
XLV. A
140 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
*
before me by the party who had a glorious day on the
mountain, and the question was now or never. If the reader
will refer to Vol. IV., p. 312, Vol. V., p. I29,and Vol. VII.,p.
107, he will find that leading to the summit of Garbh-bheinn
is one of the most fascinating ridge climbs in Scotland ;
rocks of the roughest, angle of the steepest, and sides rising
from gulfous depths the recesses of which are akin to the
unknown. This then was our goal, and yet so faintly do
we grasp what we have not seen, that a mere mantle of
mist completely baffled us, and we had to leave the ascent
of the ridge for another day. Our intentions were good,
and we started early by motor, despite a south-east wind
which obscured the mountains of Ardgour as we rolled
southwards, and produced rain showers at intervals. Half
an hour later Corran Ferry was reached, but Garbh-bheinn
had disappeared from view, and the weather outlook was
worse. The ferry crossed, our expedition was delayed
owing to the absence of horses, and it was 9 A.M. ere we
bowled along the western shore of Loch Linnhe en route
for Inversanda, where we must strike up the valley for our
mountain. Who in our Club has neither walked, cycled,
nor driven these eight miles ? His the greater loss. In this
short space are such visions of promontories, of beaches
dazzling white by the blue waters, of effects of forest and
moorland and mountain, as make it a veritable harvest
ground for the artist. There, in front, a long vista of water
leads over to Ballachulish, beyond which the further gleam
indicates Loch Leven. Above, in great solid masses, their
summits glittering with snow, the Glencoe mountains
present mountain forms which seem to say, " Will ye no'
come back again?" in reference doubtless to a proposed
Easter Meet of the Club next year. At length the bridge
is reached, and driving clothes abandoned, for our course
leads up the southern bank of the Allt an lubhair. It
cannot be called good going, for swampy ground alternates
with bog, and though the walk up may seem short, the
return journey is " unco weary." In one and a half hours
we had turned the projecting corner, where an important
tributary comes down from Garbh-bheinn, and beside some
gaunt birches took our second breakfast. It was an unin-
Garbh'Bheinn of Ardgour, 141
spiring scene, for nought was visible save the heathery
foreground leading to snow wastes which might lead any-
where. The true climbing disciple follows the stream into
the corrie, and there with halloes and echoes is guided to
the foot of the great ridge ; but we, a party of sceptics, my
wife, son, and self, preferred to walk by sight rather than
by faith. At last a break in the clouds and a ghostly
pinnacle of startling steepness presented itself, only to be
withdrawn. Again, higher up, another pinnacle and steep
buttresses to the right. What are these ? Never mind !
these must be our goal ; and so up over rocks and moss
till we sat at the foot of our pinnacle. Then the clouds
lifted, and across the corrie the ridge tempted us to come.
But, faithful to. our first love, we put on the rope at 1,700
feet, and essayed the ascent. On the left the wall rose
sheer and I presume inaccessible. To the right the angle
tapered off and access might be easy, but in front the
possible routes were few and doubtful. A recess at the
left-hand corner led easily up for 20 feet, and showed
splendid rocks and good holds but at a high angle. A
ledge with apparently solid hitch of 4 feet high led to the
right, the rope being put behind for security. The hitch,
however, toppled over ere the corner was reached, and.
retreat was deemed wise. A few feet to the right a long
chimney was entered, closed above with jammed blocks.
Hitches were absent, so bringing up my son to the cul-de-
sac^ after some attempts an escape was made on the right
hand (true) wall, and the party was soon merrily progress-
ing on easier ground. Keeping always on the ridge to the
left, sporting work was frequent, and even dangerous situa-
tions cropped* up. Later the slope eases and the pinnacle
concentrates itself in a Pic Robbieson, very steep and very
narrow, but with just sufficient holds to justify the ascent.
Loose rocks were frequent, and the dismissal of many tons
at one point reduced the available holds somewhat. The
snow now became replaced by frozen turf or ice, and the
afternoon wearing on, we thought to avoid the upper pin-
nacle rising to the left of the attenuated ridge, and hurry
back ere night fell. A steep icy slope was below on the
right, but our course to the cornice of the main ridge
142 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
seemed easy, and we spent some precious minutes in en-
joying the superb views over to Glencoe. On now making
for the summit, it was found that the way was barred by
the icy holdless slabs of the upper pinnacle, and we must
either descend the icy slope or include the pinnacle in our
route. We had only brought a single ice-axe as the climb
was intended to be a rock one, so we turned to the pinnacle
itself, where only one possible route was visible, and elected
to try our chances on the rocks rather th^n risk the steep
slope below. In front a bulging cliff, and on the right a
long steep slab, limited the ice and snow, and upwards in
the soft snow was easy. Progress stopped, however, as one
step and another revealed no bottom, and looking down
a bergschrund, narrow but very deep, disclosed the snow
bridge to which we must trust. Working along to the left
where the bridge was still intact, careful holds were made
above the crevasse, and slowly the body was wormed across
and up till anchorage could be made. Above, the angle
steepened greatly, and the snow merged into ice, which
for the upper 6 feet reigned supreme. Below the bulging
cliff a crevice existed between rock and ice, and served for
safe anchorage of the party. Extensive clearing operations
on the ice overlapping the rocks revealed no holds, and our
hopes rested entirely on a finger grip about 5 feet above
the ice. The top of the ice was cut for a toe-hold, and the
ice-axe being left in the crevice as a hitch, the leader, not
without difficulty, balanced on the ice, reached the finger
grip, and was soon on a safe if narrow ledge. Thence ten
minutes sufficed to land us on the top close to the main
ridge. The hour was late, and rain threatened, so hasten-
ing to the head of the safe and easy gully to the east, we
glissaded 950 feet without a break into the corrie, and were
soon trudging down the boggy valley to our trap. This
we reached at 7 P.M., arriving at Ardgour 8.15 P.M., and
Fort- William at 9.25 P.M. To lovers of the beautiful this
charming route may be recommended. Not only is the
mountain itself of beautiful proportions, but the exquisite
views of mountain and loch to the east tempt one to linger
too long on the climb.
The North-Eos t Ridge of Aonach Beag had for years
U)
The North-East Ridge of Aonach Beag, 143
loomed before me. It was my first Club Meet at Fort-
William, 1896, and the accounts of climbers as they came
back from mighty rollicking on the ridges hardly roused
envy in my bosom. The difficulties encountered seemed
too great for justification, and I felt content to wander over
the Mamores with Colin Phillip and other kind friends,
little dreaming that a few short months would inspire me
with a desire for more daring climbs and start me on a
second youth. The great ridge of Aonach seemed in-
credible, and I looked on Gilbert Thomson and his com-
panions, who had then climbed it, with reverence and awe.
Then came years when doubts were cast on the ridge, and
gradually it seemed to become a myth, as one after
another essayed to find it and found it not. Then Raeburn
in 1902 proposed to reach it from our rendezvous on the
summit of Ben Nevis, but it was reserved for i8th April
1904 to make the great ascent. The weather was propi-
tious, and an early start no hardship, as the motor toiled up
Glen Nevis and encountered the rutty road past Achriavach
and up nearly to the famous gorge. I wonder how many
have seen this glen under more inspiring conditions. Clouds
having the form that indicates improvement hung about
the summits, but as the gorge was neared these broke up
suddenly, and the sun streamed through a tumultuous
chaos on as grand a scene as is in all Scotland. A sturdy
clump of Scotch firs filled the foreground, beyond which
in the slanting sunlight glimpses of uncouth crag and
weird rocky strata alternated with river rapids and the
wild mountain sides. To the left, as through a window in
heaven, a dazzling snowfield looked down, calm and glitter-
ing,and apparently basking in unlimited sunshine. Raeburn.
who with my son made up the party, admitted that the
effect might well rank with the sublimest Alpine visions.
Beyond, a dazzling shoulder of Aonach or other peak
rested on a dark foreground of cloud and rock, and to the
right the unceasing dash of the Nevis, as it boiled through
the water-worn channel, and the remnants of some Titanic
convulsion filled our souls with joy that ours was the good
fortune to live to-day.
Our course lay through the gorge and on to the open
144 ^^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
pastures surrounding the cottage of Steall. Looking round,
the heart of the photographer beat more quickly, for there
above rose the glittering peak of Sg6r a Mhaim, the clouds
of night still flitting about its corrie and sharp ar^te, but
lifting at times sufficiently to admit the clear light of the
morning sun. It is just on such an occasion that one likes
to think complacently of the well-stored roll-holder and
spare rolls, and to feel that no limit need be placed on
photographic hunger. But alas, only six plates encumbered
my rucksack, and of these one must be sacrificed on Sgdr
a Mhaim. The philosopher, regarding the mountain photo-
grapher, sees in him one of the most miserable of beings.
He toils on gloomy or misty days, with a battery of lenses
and superfluous plates, while the wind capsizes his camera,
and the focussing cloth flies out to leeward. There he is
on the coldest part of the ridge, with frozen hands and
rucksack half filled with drifting snow. Where are his
companions? Crouching in some sheltered spot and calling
on him to " Hurry up, for it is cold.*' Well he knows it,
and recognises that they look on him as a camera fiend, a
veritable Jonah. Yet again, as on this occasion, the sun
shines, the snow is dazzling and beautifully moulded, the
cornices flaunt their alluring banners from on high, exquisite
sights never to be revisited call on him to be recorded. He
cannot. Only six, five, four, one remains; and soon with
camera folded up and hardened heart he sees the glorious
panoramas tempt him with mocking invitations. Who can
measure out the reward to the photographer? Our Hon.
Librarian tauntingly said to me that he supposed one per
cent, of successes would be good work. But, in all this
musing, think of the grand effect on character. No big,
big D is uttered even when some grand catastrophe
occurs ; and witnesses can testify that mountain photo-
graphers, although the most chastened, are amongst the
meekest, most hopeful, and enthusiastic of climbers. Mean-
while relentless Raeburn calls " Time's up!" and we shoulder
our packs and strike up for the sloping skyline which will
lead us round the south-east shoulder of Aonach Beag to
the col between that peak and Sgdr a Chdinnich Beag. It
is new ground for us all, and the higher we rise the more
n:
^
The North-East Ridge of Aonach Beag, 145
startling and charming are the forms of the Mamore peaks.
Mantled in deep snow, the ridges with their pendent
cornices seemed to sharpen wonderfully, and the graceful
cone of Binnein Mor to claim an Alpine altitude. Our
plans had been well laid, and with scarce a waver from our
direction we rounded the shoulder and found ourselves on
the same level as our col. Deep snow lay in beautiful
wreaths, and rendered the going heavy, but ten minutes
served to place us on an island of rock whence we got our
first view of the east face of Aonach Beag. Immediately
in front the south-eastern peak rose in rocky cliffs
cro^vned with huge cornices, and showed several ridges
which might give sport, but none of these in any way
corresponded to the North-East Ridge of which we were
in search. The sun having come out in force, we glissaded
down into the level corrie, now dazzling with deep snow.
Through this a vigorous stream turned and twisted, covered
deep by snow bridges, but at times looking cold and for-
bidding as it emerged into sunlight. Some circumspection
was necessary to avoid immersion, and to find a spot for
second breakfast was not easy. Each pool, bared by the
melting snow, swarmed with frogs and their spawn, but save
for these, animal life was absent. It is at this point that
the wanderer is apt to miss "the ridge," and in default to
attack one of the steep buttresses that descend from the
long summit plateau to the valley. A fascinating col,
snow-clad and Alpine, and fortified by cornices, divides the
eastern from the main peak, and far down below a huge
. avalanche track over which we passed made us wonder
whence came this river of snow and ice. There it could be
traced up and up and across to the right, where in the
brilliant sunshine a perfect battery of cornices was evident.
As we looked, a puff like smoke, and down thundered the
masses of ice and snow, riving deep furrows in the steep
slope. We rubbed our eyes again. Were we in the Alps
or where? Yes, here in bonnie Scotland! in a scene full
of the choicest marvels of Alpine scenery. As we toiled
northwards to the great slope of Aonach Mor, it was
evident that our ridge must be still farther round to the
left. There at last was the castellate buttress on Aonach
146 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Mor described by Thomson (Vol. III., p. 333), and from
which he descried our ridge on the opposite side. Now for
the crucial bend in the corrie, and as we turned the corner
towards the col between the two Aonachs there towered up
for 1,600 feet the object of our search. The snow was
knee deep and in bad condition. In vain we sought the
shade of overhanging cliff for firmer foothold. The sooner
the ridge could be reached the better. Rounding the base
a little, the rocks on the north side at the very foot did not
look tempting with the holds filled now with ice and now
with snow, and we elected to plough our way up a steep
snow slope leading to the ar^te. At first the climbing was
easy and safe, except where a slipping foot revealed the
sheet of ice under the deep snow. Five hundred feet gone
and no difficulty. Was it then after all to be merely a
pleasant stroll? The answer came immediately on the
now narrow ridge where several gigantic rock needles
barred the way. On either hand the icy slope disappeared
at a steep angle, and the effect was exactly such as one
might get on a first-class Alpine ridge. One after another
difficulty was vanquished by our leader, and the sensa-
tional passages yielded safe handholds to the rest of the
party. At length the ridge is reduced to a steep narrow
overhanging edge, and our choice is over this, or perchance
on holdless slaps to the right or where ? Neither of these
seems justifiable, but over to the left a fine traverse leads to
an icy slope, and then right up over steep rocks to the ridge
again, where the keen cold wind is endeavouring to freeze
the superficially thawed snow. Photographically this part
abounds in sensational effects, but the sun caressed each
pinnacle, and resolutely bade itie retain my last two plates
for above. The slope easing off, we had leisure and oppor-
tunity to enjoy the really superb scenery on either hand.
A miniature cornice by which we passed was so thin that
the sun's rays passed through below the lip and produced
a glorious soft translucent effect. Many reflected lights
were cast on the snow in shadow by the polished ice slopes
in front and above, and now, nearly reached, were the great
overhanging cornices which extended in more or less
unbroken line for several miles. Would our ridge termi-
The North-East Ridge of Aonach Beag. 147
nate under this great wall? The track of a hare on the snow
answered this in the negative, and following it we stepped
on to the plateau, having expended No. 5 plate just below
the summit In former papers in this journal I have shown
the mountaineer as a " Searcher after the Beautiful "
(Vol. v., p. 121), as a botanist, naturalist, and what not, but
not so far as I remember as a strict attender to duty. On
this occasion Raeburn was the preacher, and the writer the
one who practised duty. As we reached the summit of
Aonach Beag our feelings were of the most conflicting.
But one plate remained. The artistic temptations were
sore. The eye ranged across the snowy Mamore Forest,
over Aonach Eagach, and fixed on Bidean nan Bian, a
veritable monarch of mountains. Covered as all the peaks
were with deep snow, it was like a piling of Peleon on
Ossa, all lines tending to bring the eye back to the graceful
Bidean. My own fancy selected this scene for the plate.
My son, however, pointed out that from here Ben Nevis
stood up in a proud way over Carn Mor Dearg, with an
effect absolutely unique. Picture the snowy foreground of
Aonach, the delicate corniced ar^te leading to Carn Mor
Dearg, the well-known arete beyond, and then soaring up,
the Ben itself like some gigantic form rearing its hoary
head for one last look around ere night fell. Raeburn
endorsed the claims, but added with sweet simplicity,
"This would make no doubt the finest picture, but you
have a duty to the ridge, and even though the result be
only topographical, the plate must record the ridge for the
benefit of others." Members will see from the photograph
that though the least beautiful of our views, yet it holds a
very high place on its own merits. It was cold on the
ridge, and after securing the peak of Aonach Mor, our
chief instinct was to descend as rapidly as possible to the
valley to the south, and thence home. Unfortunately the
under snow was hard, and with a loose coating of soft
above ; but by occasionally stopping to prevent surprises,
we glissaded down a steep gully, the barometer recording
a descent of 1,520 feet. The going is excellent in this
upper valley (parallel to Allt a Mhuilinn), and from the
mouth of it a bee-line was made over broken ground to the
148 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
river Lundie, where the railway bridge gives access to the
right bank. Here on the Spean Bridge road we found the
motor, and as we bowled into Fort-WiUiam, the north-east
buttress gleaming in the setting sun gave us farewell, and
we felt that a red-letter day had been added to our moun-
taineering experiences.
The photograph of the "Ben Nevis Group from
Corpach " is added to show how the various ridges of Ben
Nevis, Cam Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, and the Easans
group themselves together to form one of the noblest
mountain masses in Britain.
I
Three on the Centre Grid of the Trident Buttress. 149
THREE ON THE CENTRE GRID OF THE
TRIDENT BUTTRESS, BEN NEVIS.
By J. iNGLis Clark.
It was an ideal April morning for our walk up the well-
known pony track. With the sky blue and clear, a gentle
cool breeze, and mountains glistening snow-clad in the
sunshine, we might easily imagine that we were in Switzer-
land. The knowledge that this was indeed our "ain
countree" gave us added zest. This was no "land of
mountain and flood " (as, alas ! it only too often is), but a
land of mountains crowned with dazzling snow and flooded
with glorious sunshine. As I walked along I could not
help rejoicing to find myself far removed in spirit from that
not impossible wretch of whom the great Sir Walter has
written —
" With heart so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
* This is my own, my native land ? ' "
Before saying good-bye to the Mamore peaks, as we
rounded the corner leading to the Lochan, the photo-
grapher of the party strove to immortalise the scene.
While packing up the paraphernalia, two vigorous parties
made up on us. We knew of two other parties still farther
behind. Surely the Ben was holding his levie to-day.
The others pushed on for the summit direct, while we
bent our steps towards the deer fence. Mr Rickmers had
thoughtfully left ski for our use, hidden behind a friendly
boulder. ^ With these two of the party had an enjoyable
time of ski practice, while the camera fiend enjoyed him-
self in the manner peculiar to his kind. After concealing
the ski, we proceeded on our way — glissading gaily over
the edge, when we reached it, down into the Allt a Mhuilinn
Glen. Shortly afterwards we were enjoying our mountain
mid-day meal at the Lunching Boulder. The rock scenery
from this point is at all times unspeakably grand, but, seen
by the writer for the first time in regal winter garb, it made
1 50 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
an impression never to be forgotten. Those wondrous
cliffs, plastered and moulded with snow and ice, every
crevice filled in with glistening white, soared upwards
cornice-crowned to the sky. To such a noble and sublime
scene the following words of Ruskin are especially appli-
cable : " The feeding of the rivers and the purifying of the
winds are the least of the services appointed to the hills.
To fill the thirst of the human heart for the beauty of
God's working — to startle its lethargy with the deep and
pure agitation of astonishment — are their higher missions."
I claim for this view-point a very high place in alpine
scenery, and maintain that with winter's snowy mantle
Ben Nevis from the centre of the AUt a Mhuilinn Glen
can proudly hold his own. After lunch comes the business
of the day. Our destination was the Trident Buttress with
its three ridges and three summits which have given it the
name. These are well seen in the accompanying photo-
graph, which shows it in its summer aspect The left hand
(southern) ridge, the Pinnacle Arete, had been climbed
in June 1902 (see Vol. VII., p. 152); the right hand or
northern ridge was conquered at New Year 1904; but
the central ridge, which was our goal, had not yet been
ascended. We made our way up the glacier-worn slabs
of Coire na Ciste till level with the little tarn, still locked
in its long winter sleep under a deep covering of ice and
snow. After kicking steps up the rapidly steepening snow
slope above it, we arrived at the bergschrund below the
steep ice and snow covered curtain of rocks forming the
lower portion of the Central Trident. A short time for
roping, rest, and refreshment, and our leader started up the
most promising-looking " lead," a steep little couloir filled
with hard snow. Sixty or seventy feet up we arrived at a
"pitch," a vertical wall where the many alternations of
thawing and freezing had converted the snow practically
into ice. This steep portion naturally required care.
Above this the angle was less for a little, but we soon
arrived at another, this time much higher, ice pitch. This
was absolutely impossible, so our leader, Mr Raeburn,
traversed round to the left, across and along a steeply
sloping ledge below overhanging ice-covered rocks. It
OF
Three on the Centre Grid of the Trident Buttress. 151
was an awkward and dangerous traverse. Then round-
ing a comer, some steep ice-covered rocks were reached,
after which we traversed another slippery ice ledge, this
time to the right We then gained the wide snowfield
that here occupied the space between the North and South
Tridents. Above us rose the final ridge. A direct attack
on this proved unsuccessful in its ice-clad condition, but
access was gained to a neat little pinnacle by an ice gully
and steep ledges on our left. At this point Charlie Clark's
hat was gently wafted off and lost to sight. It was a
historical hat that had safely surmounted Monte Rosa, the
Matterhorn, &c., but the Ben claimed it, and it had to obey
— so it went to its fate. The climb now resolved itself Into
a pleasant scramble up a narrow snow-covered rock ridge
which Led to the summit. Fortunately for us we had no
cornice at this point to contend with, and we were free to
enjoy the marvellous sight that suddenly burst upon us.
We had been on the shady side of the mountain all the
way up. But there at the top the sun's rays were shining
dazzlingly on the grand cornices of Carn Dearg which
stretched away on either side of us, and below them' the
mighty precipices, deep in shadow, plunged down into the
gloom of the valley with Gustave Dor6 effect It was
glorious to step up into the sunshine, and to feel that we
had successfully accomplished a new climb under wintry
conditions. The strong wind up here, which was a pleasant
breeze down below, did not tempt us to dally. Saying
farewell to the grand old Ben, we turned our faces home-
wards. A fair amount of glissading shortened our way,
and as we neared Achintee, we saw our faithful motor and
party awaiting our return.
152 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
THE ROSE RIDGE ON SGORAN DUBH.
By W. a. Morrison.
In the chronicles of the Easter Meet which appeared in the
previous issue of Xhe Journal there will be found descrit>ed
an attempted ascent of a rib on Sgoran Dubh. The party
consisted of Messrs Moncrieff, A. E. Robertson, Rose, and
Solly — the last-named leading. The conditions were un-
favourable for rock-climbing, the rocks being plastered
with soft snow, and when the climbers encountered a steep
wall of rock which appeared forbidding under the circum-
stances, they decided to traverse into the gully on the
south and descend, as the hour was now somewhat late.
Enough had been seen, however, to convince the leader
that the rib would afford an excellent climb under kindlier
auspices, and a second attempt was resolved upon.
Accordingly, W. C. Newbigging, A. E. Robertson,
and the writer left Edinburgh at the unholy hour of
44 A.M., or rather 4.25, on Friday, 29th April, bound for
Aviemore. A gentle drizzle did its best to enhance the
charms of an early start, but by the time Perth was reached
the sun had broken through, and fine weather prevailed for
the rest of the day. Previous experience having shown
the futility of attempting to consume a mountaineering
breakfast between Kingussie and Aviemore, we had brought
a liberal supply of food with us, and our morning meal was
washed down by numerous cups of tea of our own brewing.
Thus we were ready for the fray immediately on reaching
Aviemore, and merely halted at the Temperance Hotel to
leave instructions to have our bags sent for from the station
and to have dinner (of suitable dimensions) ready at 9 P.M.
8.45 saw the party clear of Aviemore.
It is vain to extol the beauties of the Rothiemurchus
Forest, but never could they have seemed fairer than on
that spring morning with the sun glinting through the
trees, the all-pervading scent of the pines, the whole green
life of the forest forming a perfect setting for the vista of
snow-clad Cairngorms beyond.
The Rose Ridge on Sgoran Dubh. 153
We had decided not to drive to the Bothy, as the short
road ^vas obstructed by a tramway laid to facilitate wood-
cutting operations. When we reached this tramway we
found the bc^ie just starting, so promptly seated ourselves
thereon and secured a most enjoyable lift, doing the last
part at record spjeed, as our now horseless carriage glissaded
down the dip to the cross roads where the tramway ends.
Just past the private road post we found that two trees
had been felled across the road, thus effectually precluding
any possibility there might have been of driving, so, con-
Thb Buttrkssbs of Sgokan Dubh.
[On the cliff marked No. 2 are three ridges, namely (running from left to
right), the Bachelors' Buttress, the Married Men's Buttress, and the Rose
Ridge. These are close Ic^ether, and lie 10 the left of the figure 2 in the
sketch.]
gratulating ourselves on our Spartan resolve to " ply the
good shoe leather," we walked on.
As we left the shelter of the forest the sun was hot, and
we sat down to rest and admire the beauties of nature.
This interlude was brief, however — the strenuous activity of
a neighbouring ant-heap provided so stimulating an example
that we hurriedly set off for the Lower Bothy, which was
reached at ten minutes past eleven o'clock. Here we left
part of our ba^^e, and, lightly laden, crossed the foot-
bridge at the back of the Bothy and struck across the moor
towards our goal — the rib on No. 2 Buttress. (Probably a
154 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
much better route would be to follow the road till the
Upper Bothy is reached, then cross over to the hill.)
The Rose Ridge lies to the north of the Married Men's
Buttress. It is marked by the conspicuous rock wall which
forms the north flank of the rib and by the trees growing
out of it on the same side a little lower down. There is now
also at the foot of the ridge a cairn which owes its origin
to the surplus energies of our party.
The climbing began at once at an altitude of 2400 feet
on the rib, which rises from the heather at a low angle, the
rock being slightly rotten. After a little this narrows down
to an easy arete with one or two very steep pitches up
which we swarmed with a leg on each side in a somewhat
ungraceful fashion, especially the last man, who, burdened
with three axes, found the rope of more than moral assist-
ance. These pitches must have been awkward under the
conditions of the first ascent. Hereabouts the South Gully
is slabby, the North Gully grassy.
After one or two interesting pitches we came to what
was the main difficulty in the first ascent, viz., about 40
feet of slabs with holds few and mostly rotten, at the top
of which was a small stance. A little sapping enlarged this
so that with careful packing the second man might be
brought up to help the leader up the next pitch — a wide,
grass-filled crack. How the first party surmounted this
pitch was rather difficult to see, as on this occasion the
warm dry rock of the slabs was fully appreciated for its
friction grip, while the most useful holds in the grassy
crack had to be delved for pretty considerably. When this
is passed, however, there is an excellent anchorage (altitude
about 2,800 feet).
This anchorage proved of great assistance when the
last man's turn came to swarm up those slabs. Burdened
with the axes, a rucksack, and that tired feeling which is
prone to assail the climber who has to tarry awhile as the
leader burrows his way to success or elsewhere, he found
the slabs of sufficient difficulty, and on reaching the grassy
chimney said in accents doleful, " Here, give me a haul ; I
can't get up with all this ironmongery." The haul was
given, and to a clattering accompaniment the chimney was
The Rose Ridge on Sgoran Dubh. 155
duly swept. We were now below the " very steep wall with
a vertical slit down the middle of it," at which the first
party decided to traverse into the gully. This now resolved
itself into a most interesting 40-foot climb up a stretch of
cracked slabs, or rather piled blocks, the first of which
at least requires a determined effort to surmount. Here-
abouts was another hitch. The writer, who was now the
beast of burden, cleverly contrived to arrange the shafts of
the axes between his legs and the rock, the result being
another — less enjoyable — demonstration of the friction-
removing properties of a tramway. Further complications
ensued — "Pull!" "I can't, the rope's caught." "It's me
that's caught ; pull, man ! " Above these blocks is about
20 feet of rounded slabs provided with but poor holds.
After this the climb degenerates. If the ridge be stuck
to, it affords a scramble over broken -up rock with some
pretty stiff pitches, but these are most easily avoided, as the
south gully, which is now almost on a level with the ridge,
provides an easy walk to the point where the rib joins the
Bachelors' Buttress, which we marked by a cairn where
the rib abuts on the mass of this buttress. This point was
reached at 3.55 P.M., three hours and five minutes from the
start. On a level with the cairn, in the gully to the north,
a tempting spring trickling down the hollow invited the
thirsty climbers to refresh themselves, but the intervening
stretch of turf (sheltered from the sun) was frozen hard,
and to cross this the axes were required for the first
time. After this an easy walk led us through soft snow
to the sky-line, five or ten minutes from the cairn of
Sgoran Dubh Mor.
Unfortunately the sky clouded over and sleet began to
fall when we reached the cairn, preventing us from seeing
what must have been a glorious view. The shower, how-
ever, passed in time to give us a glimpse of Ben Alder and
other peaks as we made our way along the ridge to the
snow to the north of No. i Buttress, which was descended
by an abortive glissade ; below this a rough descent soon
brought us to Loch Mhic Ghille Chaoile, which we skirted
on the west side, where the going was found to be fairly
good, better than on the east. Leaving the Bothy, we had
XLV. B
156 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
another delightful walk back to Aviemore, though under
what different conditions.
In the morning, the mysterious attraction of the un-
known to lure us on, in the evening the satisfaction of
success ; then a long day's task before us, now a well-
spent day to look back on, and rest approaching ; then the
sun blazed down upon us, now the coolness of evening
among the great pines fittingly closed a memorable day on
the rocks of Sgoran Dubh.
The hotel was reached in two hours from the Bothy,
plus a ten minutes' rest, and next morning the train sped
us south again to resume once more the threads of the life
which had been dropped for a bare forty-eight hours — alas!
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis, 157
AQUATIC SPORT ON BEN NEVIS.
By W. R. Rickmers.
** Snow is hardly water," said my friend who saw the above
headline and thought he knew the subject. " Snow is hard
water," I replied, and he vanished, muttering as he went,
" It's illicit still ; his imagination is out of bounds." No
doubt he was sorry to leave me alone with my inspiration.
** He meant ' out of bond,' surely," I chuckled, and from its
crystal bower with loving lips I lured the Scottish muse.
The British, the greatest of all seafaring nations, were
clearly predestined to be the first in taking up mountaineer-
ing as a sport. Between the Mountain and the Main the
connection is not far to seek. From ice to water is but a
question of temperature ; from Ararat to Ben Nevis through
the ten lost tribes (who were evidently not competent to go
without guides) to the British Isles stretches one unbroken
tradition, and from Noah to mountain dew is one absorbent
theme. As a mere Continental I had not until lately quite
realised how important water is to the Nation of the Seas.
It is the mainspring of their greatness, their well of health,
and the source of their pleasures. No wonder they worship
it to an extent undreamt of in other countries. They rule
the waves, they fish the stream and tread the snowy crest,
they enter into water from their beds, and even mix the
omnipresent liquid in their drinks. Truly, providence
favours them and always provides an exceptionally liberal
supply of wet for the holidays, so that these islanders may
sail forth and, together with their favourite element, swamp
the playgrounds of Europe. Was it mere idle fancy of the
poet's mind that Venus rose from the foaming waves ? I
think I see the purpose of the symbol. From water, the
all-pervading, material generator, is born the ideal, the all-
beautifier : She, woman, the giver of life, the inspiration of
our work, the companion of our sports. Though it may be
the etymological speculation of one who left out of his glass
the sober fluid of the pump, I revel with unsophisticated
joy in the idea that ** she " is the word-root as well as the
158 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
presiding unit of the triad She, Ship, and Ski. Before I
saw this, I objected to the Norwegian spelling "ski" (I
wanted " skee ") and the Norwegian pronunciation (which
is "she") being introduced into the English language.
But history and providence knew better, and now I have
Keen taught that the three best things in the world are
called " she." True heirs of the chivalrous Norsemen who
roamed over the briny and the snow, the British have the
ships and what goes with them, and they were the first
to adopt the ski before any other country outside of
Scandinavia.
Reader, if you feel a moist mist gathering round your
understanding, if you resent my flight of fervid fancy (alas!
its wings are dripping still), remember that I, a son of the
sunny South,have, before writing this, tried to absorb the local
colour of your literature, and among others I perused the
book of a former Astronomer- Royal for Scotland, which
left on my mind that indelible impress which nothing can
wash off. His speculations about the Great Pyramid have
a natural attraction for mountaineers, for Cheops' tomb-
stone is high and steep. I have studied the book carefully,
and by the clear exposition of the she-symbolism I hope to
prove myself as possessing the inheritance of the true
spirit of him who did his oriental work in one of the
driest regions of the world, who from Auld Reekie to
Gizeh joined two contrasts into one fantastic revelry of the
imagination, and who must have been instilled with and
tried to combine what is most characteristic of the two
extremes.
I am still wet with Highland moisture outside and in.
That is my justification to the patriotic Scot, who, filled
with grief (unless it be something better), bids me hurry to
the scene of my exploits. He does not realise perhaps that
I am already in it, in full swim, in fact, making headway
with a will, and trying to reach the shore. Allow mie to say
that for eight days I have been the hygroscopic victim
drenched between the infinite deluge of a diluted outer
world and the concentrated and stronger flood of the
limited space within. Small wonder that I was a sodden
sponge which would have burst asunder but for the tender
SKIING. "On t
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis. 159
care of friends, descendants of the hardy clans of the
North, and therefore accustomed to the rough nature of
Caledonia stem and wild. They rescued me and sent me
to my home, which I reached safely, leaving across France
a trail of brownish liquid, defined by a distinguished
analyst as moorland water, and which smelt of Harris
tweed. After my return the Lake of Constance rose
steadily, and the fish died from an epidemic of bacillus
peatreekus. But I am glad to say that things are now gradu-
ally subsiding into a normal condition. The lake is falling
visibly, and I am squeezing over these introductory pages
the remnant of my humid recollections, which I offer as a
last tribute to the land of the lochs. I am beginning to
feel dry, and I hope to remain so ever after. So I need
hardly apologise, trusting that I have made it sufficiently
clear to you that up to the time of writing this, I was quite
full of my subject, and felt no need to refresh my memory,
externally or artificially, by the use of either pump or
flagon.
If in the eye of the reader I am getting into water hot
and deep because my writings do not please him, let him
remember that I am not a lyric poet, that mine is not the
pleasant patter of the babbling brook, but that, as a product
of peculiarly painful circumstances, my prose should rather
partake of the erratic eddies and turbulent torrents of the
irresistible spate rushing through the glen. The opened
sluice-gates of my intellectual receptacle will pour forth
what was poured into it The reader of the S,M,C, Journal
is getting impatient, and reaches for his umbrella. He is a
mountaineer, and eager to know where the sport comes in
promised by the title. Having found out by now that the
subject is mainly HgO, he only wishes me to resolve the doubt
whether I am thinking of climbing in the water or diving in
the hills. I implore him not to lose courage, for though I
have sunk very deep through no fault of mine, for I was not
born an amphibious animal, I am working hard to get out of
the unfathomable. Be there ever so much water, it cannot
drown my enthusiasm for the noble art of skiing, which
will always rise to the top victoriously. Thus skiing is
the tune and water the melody thereof. As to time and
i6o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
locality of my tale, suffice to say that the scene is submerged
in that epoch of the earth's history chronologically called
Easter 1904, while the place must be imagined somewhere
in the great swamp Scotland, so characteristic of the period
in question. There my wife and I ventured on a journey
of exploration with the object of finding out what could be
done with the ski to the inhabitants of those parts. Before
going I wrote for information to the natives, and in common
fairness I must admit that, having a true and objective
appreciation of their country's condition, and knowing that
I was an innocent stranger and a child of the South, they
tried at the outset to damp my fiery ardour by transferring
to their letters as vivid a picture as possible of the natural
conditions by which they are constantly surrounded. Ad-
vice was showered upon me, and warnings poured down in
sheets of notepaper, but, alas ! I was like the proverbial
duck, I was sure of finding snow, wherein I proved right
enough, but I neglected the most important factor of
hydrostatic calculations ; I forgot that the height of Easter-
tide has often marked the lowest ebb of many a buoyant
hope. I studied a map with the elevations, whereas I
should have consulted an Admiralty chart with deep-sea
soundings. Ski-runners, heed ye my timely fog-horn of
advice, and do not embark upon the wild-goose chase
around the storm-swept reef which towers stately but
invisible, inhabited but lost, in the outer darkness of the
oozing cloud.
What a ski is some Scots may not know. In my
sunny home people call it " the camel of the snows," because
without it you feel cut adrift. But better suited to this
narrative, and nearer to your understanding it will be to
emphasise its usefulness and indispensability by naming it
" ship of the mountains," for it can go a long way without
water. And if one is familiar with modern things, I can-
not choose a more expressive or picturesque analogy than
that of terrestrial submarine, because that it was during
our stay at Fort-William, and as such it is best described
in this particular record, which tells of the navigation of
Ben Nevis by a volunteer fleet under my command.
Skiing is to my mind the finest variety of mountaineer-
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis, i6i
ing. How freely do we breathe the crisp, dry air; how
the eye does revel in the scintillating jewellery which the
last fall of new snow has thrown over the trees of the
mountain-side ; and how we delight in the view, so deep
and clear, that crystal purity wherein seems to float a
distant promise of eternity. Gently rising towards the
glorious fields of white we watch the growing splendours
of the winter morn, and looking backwards we survey with
pride the many windings of the slender track, that clear-
cut line of man-made beauty among the unspoilt charms
of hill and dale. Then, after pleasant toil the top is gained,
and basking in the sun, eating our wholesome food, we
rest content, our relish the expectation of things to come.
But who can describe with the ink flowing from a sluggish
pen the feelings of the downward slide, the exuberant joy
of the swaying motion — in short, the wljole rippingness of
a good run : —
"The turbulent swirl, the storm-sped whirl, or the fall with a
thundering bump.
And the lightning fling, with the elegant swing of a well-made
Telemark jump ;
The tinkling crash of a jolly good smash, that breaks the even
flow.
Or the sweeping slide, as whizzing we glide through the drifts of
the seething snow."
But, with sincere apologies to the poet for the un-
authorised loan and unpretentious use of a metre so
eminently suited to every kind of physical exercise, allow
me to resume the halting prose, which must render the
impressions of a plain, blunt man. Only so much I know,
that no language possesses an adequate supply of words in
the splosh, swish, shoot, and flash line to give an intelligible
interpretation of what the wild wallowing waves of my
memory are whispering to me, and to which I always listen
with rapt attention. Thus, failing the power of written
words or printed periods, I wanted to convince my Scottish
friends of that something which neither book nor letter
can call forth from the heart of man — the taste for a new
sport. So I arranged to meet them at Fort-William, in
order that I might show them those beauties of skiing which
1 62 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
I have tried to suggest. Mrs Inglis Clark and her brave
daughter, Miss Findlay, Miss Macpherson, Messrs Clapper-
ton, Fedden, and Hope responded to the call, and we
found ourselves assembled in the cosy Alexandra with a
view entirely flooded by that detestable liquid which, how-
ever, in the form of snow is one of the greatest blessings of
mankind.
No more can I say than that the flood of my tears
shed over the brilliant and sunny picture which I have
painted of the skisters' joys cannot compare with the rain
which mercilessly beat down upon us. But it could not
wash out the spirits of the Scotch. There was enough and
to spare for Southron and Teuton, and I shall always
remember with intense gratitude the staunch will and the
bright, brisk, unbroken temper of those whom I had pro-
mised much and for whom a sullen sky spoilt nearly all.
For eight days we plodded to the mountain, stubbornly
intent to frolic, but obliged to snatch from driving sleet and
cutting wind a few moments of practice on the fleeting
boards. Eight times we climbed, skiid on some patch or
slope, ate a frugal meal on some spot where the water
seemed driest, while our imagination soaring to extremes
revelled in orgies of devilled dishes, hot ginger, and " extra
dry." Then we went down again, and home, to map out Xo
our patient landlady by a fluid track over hall and stairs a
realistic account of the natural beauties prevailing at the
time in the neighbourhood of her hospitable roof Some-
times we enjoyed a sail in our Hon. Secretary's splendid
steamboat, thus shortening the daily swim to our play-
ground.
On Sunday we went to see the Meteorological Observa-
tory at Fort William, and I shall never forget the enthusiasm
of the venerable man who presides over this admirable
institution — an institution which serves to encourage the
natives. It was nice to hear him say that a thermometer
registers heat, and when he showed us the rain-gauges we
stood in awe before the reckless ambition of human genius
which attempts to measure the immeasurable. These rain-
gauges are metal funnels connected with vast subterranean
vaults holding thousands of gallons. A powerful pump
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis. 163
empties them when full, which is about twice a day, as I
was told. Pathetic above all it was when he, with noble
eloquence, expressed his unshaken faith in the existence of
a sun, though it was difficult to suppress a feeling of pity
and regret when he tried to advance what in childlike
zeal he called a scientific proof. His sunshine-recorder,
evidently supplied by the S.P.R., was a globular crystal
enclosed in a semicircular arc with cabalistic signs. So
crystal-gazing was the means by which he sought to pro-
duce a dream of brightness in the minds of the simple
Highlanders. Poor man, he does his best and works
hard. May the day come when he rests from his labours
in a sunnier clime and beholds with wondering eye the
glittering orb of which he reads in books.
But one thing always remains faithful to the ski-runner,
and that is the snow. It may sometimes be fickle and
change its mood from hour to hour, but its one great virtue
is that in bad weather it is nearly always good. Last Easter
the slopes from the summit of Ben Nevis to within a
hundred feet or so above the lake at the col were in fine
condition, affording a steep run of over two thousand feet.
Such stretches of unbroken snow at stiff angles are by no
means frequent, not even in the Alps. This was what I
expected, for it is an axiom that the snow at the beginning
of spring is the most reliable and promises the greatest
chance of good sport. It has settled, does not superficially
hide treacherous obstacles, and, though hard throughout, is
slithery on top, thus making an ideal surface for swings
and curves. So the ground and the snow on Ben Nevis
were excellent, but the climate was most emphatically not
for beginners, being extremely discouraging. That is the
only drawback in Scotland as far as natural elements are
concerned. The question of good approaches and com-
fortable lodging close to the snow is also there, but not
insoluble.
In fine weather a two-hours' walk to the snowline is a
mere nothing to the ski-runner, who is looking forward to
the pleasure which he knows he will find above. I do not
know how the weather is in May, but I suppose that there
is less rain in that month than in many others. For me
164 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
there is not the shadow of a doubt that enough snow for
good skiing lies on Ben Nevis throughout May ; and on the
first of June, to judge from photographs, the runner can
still find snow-slopes of at least five hundred and maybe a
thousand feet in height. During winter, skiing is probably
very uncertain all over Scotland. The granite blocks or
the heather are too much for the soft and unset layer,
whereas any patch one sees in April is a sort of solid
filling to a hollow in the ground ; it is practically nevi,
Scotland, therefore, is essentially a country for "late
skiing " (April and May). Beginners can find tame runs,
and experts can be suited with forty-degree inclines,
gullies, and block-studded snowfields, to satisfy the most
fastidious, without much danger from avalanches. Owing
to its height and to its position in the West, which favours
great accumulations, Ben Nevis is probably the best, be-
cause the runs will also be the longest. But I may be
mistaken, and other places may equal it, though one must
always consider the existence of railways and hotels. In
the winter the far interior is better, but for the reasons
explained above (soft snow, &c.) good skiing will not be a
certainty in normal winters. The question for skisters in
Scotland — their season is the spring — is not one of the
ground or snow, which can be guaranteed, but rather of
the sky above. Experience will show if the month of May,
as I surmise, is on a better footing with the clerk of the
weather than the early days of its predecessor.
He who can spare a week during the winter will do
best to go to the Continent, and there I can conscientiously
recommend the Black Forest, which has a far harder winter
climate and more snow than the Alps. Within twenty-
four hours from Charing Cross the ski-runner can sit in
the warm and comfortable hotel on the Feldberg, more
than four thousand feet above the sea, and surrounded by
an expanse of fine ski snow which lasts from the beginning
of December till the end of April.
Skiing in the British Isles is not an innovation. The
more this fascinating pastime steps into public notoriety,
the more one hears of localities where the swift planks
have been in use for generations. In the Alpine Journal I
Aquatic Sport on Ben Nevis. 165
have repeated Dr Savage's personal recollections. Mr
Glover writes to me that at Allenheads (Cumberland) all
the village boys still have skis made out of barrel staves,
and a newspaper cutting tells me that in some of the dales
of Yorkshire and Durham the sport is by no means new,
and that fifty years ago the Weardale miners went to their
work on ski.
I appeal to the members of this and other Clubs to
collect reports of this kind, and to try to obtain " genuine
and authenticated old home-made British ski," which can-
not be extremely rare if one knows how to look for them,
but which will be priceless treasures in the ski collections
of the future. They will be witnesses that nothing is new
to the ever-wakeful instincts of a sporting race, just in the
same way as these lines are a proof that an inclement sky
cannot smother its enterprise and dash. Though my wife
and I, northward bound as missionaries of the ski, have
been drenched to the skin, we have basked in the warm
sunshine of friendship, whose glowing essence, added to
the great clear stream of Scottish hospitality, makes that
true Highland blend which mortals taste with joy.
S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
MOUNT BLAIR.
(Division II. Group VII. (a).)
Lat. 56* 45' ; W. Lon. 3* 22'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 56. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Survey Map, No. 16.
Mount Blair, 2441 feet, 3 miles north-west of the
Kirkton of Glenisla. From the isolated position and
conical shape of this mountain it commands a peculiarly
extensive and varied view, and consequently enjoys a far
greater reputation than many a mountain 1,000 feet higher.
It can be ascended from Blacklunans (post office) in Glen-
shee or the farm of Alrick in Glenisla in less than an hour,
over short dry heather — the latter is recommended.*
The view, especially to the west, is most extensive. Ben
Chonzie above Crieff, Stobinian and Ben Mor Ben Lawers,
Cairn Mairg, Schiehallion, Ben Chuallaich on the north
side of Loch Rannoch, a glimpse of which can be seen
shining in the sun, Ben Vrackie, Binnein Mor in Glen
Nevis, Ben Nevis, Ben Alder, Ben Udlaman, Beinn a'
Ghlo, Glas Thulachan, &c. ; the Central Cairngorms,
the Braes of Angus and Lochnagar, the church spire of
Montrose and the sea beyond, the broad expanse of
Strathmore and the Sidlaws, with one huge chimney of
Dundee through the gap by Auchterhouse, the Fife
Lomonds and the East Lothian hills, and to the south-
west the Ochils — these form the principal features of
the view. Pj .J, j^
* Daily post cart from Alyth to Kirkton of Glenisla, and from
Blairgowrie to Blacklunans and the Spital of Glenshee.
The Caimwell and Glas Thulachan Groups, 167
THE CAIRNWELL AND GLAS THULACHAN
GROUPS.
(Division n. Groups VHI. and IX.)
The main coach road from Blairgowrie to Braemar via
the Spital of Glenshee, the highest driving road in Scotland,
attains its greatest elevation — 2,200 feet — some 6 miles
north of the Spital, and 9 south of Braemar. It here
bisects the large tract of elevated country which lies on
the southern watershed of the headwaters of the Dee.
The eastern or higher portion, consisting of the Lochnagar
and Braes of Angus groups, was described in the last
number of the Journal, The Glas Maol, the culminating
mountain of the latter, immediately overhangs the summit
of the road, to the west of which directly opposite is the
Cairn well.
The western portion is divided by natural features into
two groups. The first, consisting of the summits included
in Group VIII., is enclosed by Glen Beag on its south-east,
and Glen Clunie on its north-east side, with their tributary
glens Thailneiche (spelt by Bartholomew Ghailneiche) on
the south-west, and Baddoch on the north-west ; while
the second, comprising Group IX., is bounded on the east
by the two last-named glens, on the north by the Dee from
Inverey to its junction with the Geldie, on the west by the
Glen Tilt path to the Falls of Tarf, and thence by the road
crossing from Falar — 1,750 feet, the highest lodge in Scot-
land — to Kirkmichael, and on the south by the little Glen
Lochy to the north-west of the Spital of Glenshee.
These two ranges consist for the most part of heather
and berry-covered lower slopes, with, higher up, short grass
and quartzite or quartz-schist scree intermixed ; of living
rock or crags there are few instances ; here and there are
peat hags, but usually not of a troublesome description.
The summits are wide and flat topped, covered with short
grass good to walk on with quartzite cropping up through.
Remote from railway or steamer lines, they can yet be
easily reached from Braemar or the Spital of Glenshee.
}
1 68 TAe Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
Two miles to the south-west of Braemar is Mdr Sr6n
(the " Big Nose ")> commonly called Morrone Hill, which,
though 2,8 J 9 feet in height, rises only 1,700 feet above
the village, and gives an excellent view of the principal
summits of the group. A spare two hours at Braemar
cannot be better spent than in an ascent of this hill.
Group VIII. — The Cairnwtell Group.
Lat 56° S3'; W. Lon. 3° 24' to 3° 30'. Ordnance
Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 65. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Survey Map, No. 16.
1. The Cairnwell (3,059 feet), though not the highest
mountain of the group, will be the most frequently ascended,
for its summit is only 860 feet above the Braemar-Glenshee
road at the county march, from which it lies less than
half a mile to the west.
2. CA.RN AOSDA (3,003 feet) is i mile north of No. i.
In the depression a little west of the col between them, at
a height of 2,303 feet, lies the little Loch Brothachan.
3. Carn nan Sac (3,000 feet) is i mile west by south
of No. I. On the one-inch map it has only a 2,750 feet
contour given ; the six-inch map, however, shows its height
as above. The summit, which is very flat, is marked by a
single upright stone.
4. Carn Geoidhe (" Goose Cairn" — 3,194 feet) is if
miles west by south of No. i. This is the highest summit
of the group, it is flat topped, and has a big cairn ; there is
little dip between it and No. 3, and not much between it
and
5. Carn Bhinnein (the "Cairn of the Peaks" — 3,006
feet), I mile west by south of No. 4. It is the western-
most of Group VIII. Unlike the other summits of this
district, this is a pretty little rocky top (no cairn), which,
once seen, forms an easily recognised landmark from all
The Caimwell and Glas Thulachan Groups, 169
around. Its south-west shoulder, Creag na Dallaige, to-
gether with Creag Easgaidh opposite it to the north-west,
has, with the exception of Glas Thulachan, the only crags
in the district.
Although all these hills, and especially Nos. 4 and 5,
are easier reached from the Spital of Glenshee than from
Braemar, the Caimwell road and the coach in summer
make their ascent easy from the latter place.
Group IX. — The Glas Thulachan Group.
Lat. 56" 52' to 56° 56'; W. Lon. s** 29' to 3° 34'.
Ordnance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheets 65 and 64.
Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance Survey Map, No. 16.
A depression of about 800 feet, formed by the Baddoch
Bum and a south-west flowing tributary of the Thailneiche,
separates this group from the last. With the exception of
Glas Thulachan and Cam an Righ, all its summits lie round
the headwaters of the Ey, a burn which joins the Dee at
Inverey S miles above Braemar.
I. Glas Thulachan (the "Little Grey Heap" —
3,445 feet), s miles north-west of the Spital of Glenshee.
This is the highest mountain of the district, overtopping
everything between the Glasmaol and Beinn a' Ghlo. It
stands well out to the south of the rest of the range, from
which it is cut off by a dip of some 800 feet. Although its
summit, marked by a large cairn, is round topped, it has
two corries to the north-east and south-east, in which the
snows linger far into the summer. The latter, which is
the finer of the two, is often heavily corniced, and gives
character to the group when seen from the south and east,
being distinguished at a great distance. It might afford
some climbing. The mountain is best ascended from the
Spital via Glenlochy Lodge (locally called Glenlochsy) in
about 3 hours.
A mile and a quarter to the north-east of Glas Thu-
lachan, in the hollow between it, M4m nan C4rn, and Beinn
lutharn Bheag, at a height of some 2,600 feet, lies the little
Loch nan Eun (" Lake of the Birds "), a name doubtless
\
170 TAe Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
given it on account of the number of gulls which build on
its two small green islands. It has a considerable fishing
reputation, and a small but well-constructed hut with a fire-
place has been built for the use of fishers a few yards west
of where the Allt Easgaidh, a mere trickle, leaves the loch.
I have found the door always unlocked, and in cold weather
the hut might be of great service to the climber.
2. MAm nan Carn (the " Round Hill of the Cairn "—
3,224 feet), between Nos. i and 4. This top is only named
on the six-inch map, while the above height is 150 yards
S.S.W. of the point marked 3,217 feet on the one-inch map.
It is a long level ridge extending east and west, with a
small cairn at the 3,217 point There is a dip to 2,600 feet
between it and No. i, and to 2,900 between it and No. 4.
3. Carn an Righ (the "King's Cairn" — 3,377 feet),
I J miles W.N.W. of- No. i, as seen from a distance, has a
fine blunt cone-shaped appearance, and is decorated with
two large cairns close together. It is the western flank of,
and detached from, the rest of the group. It is the least
accessible, and is best ascended from the Spital of Glenshee
via Loch nan Eun.
4. Beinn Iutharn Mh6r (the "Big Mountain oi
Hell " — 3,424 feet), 2 miles north of No. i. This mountain
may either be ascended from the Spital by Loch nan Eun
and over No. 2, or from Braemar via Inverey and Gleney.
Its summit, adorned with a large white quartz cairn, is at
the south-west end of a long easy shoulder. In its northern
scree-strewn corrie lies the tiny Lochan Uaine (** Little
Green Lake "). On old-fashioned maps " Ben Uarn " was
the only mountain of the range named.
5. Beinn Iutharn Beag (3,011 feet), i\ miles east
of No. 4, has a small cairn. It is an entirely uninteresting
hill ; ascents by the same routes as for No. 4.
6. An Socach (the " Plough "), west end 3,059 feet ;
east end, Socach Mor (the "Big Plough"), 3,073 feet, i^
The Caimwell and Glas Thulachan Groups, 171
and 2\ miles E.N.E. of No. 5. To reach An Socach from
Beinn lutharn Bheag involves a descent of about 700 feet.
It is a long broad ridge rising slightly at its two extremities.
Its name is not inapt. The 3,073 point has a large cairn,
the west end has none. On the one-inch map the name
" An Socach " applies to both tops ; on the six-inch and
Bartholomew's maps, however, " An Socach " is only the
west top, while the east is correctly called " Socach Mor,"
which name on the one-inch map is placed | mile east of
the top. It is most easily ascended from Braemar via
Glens Clunie and Baddoch.
7. Carn Bhac (south-west summit, 3,014 feet; north-
east summit, 3,098 feet), 2\ miles north of No. 4. This is
a round grassy mountain which is easiest ascended from
Braemar via Inverey. The lower part of Gleney is very
pretty. There is a good track as far as the junction of the
Cristie Mdr and Connie Burns. The latter is followed, and
the ascent takes about 2\ hours from Inverey. There is a
cairn with a stick on the higher north-east summit at the
top of Coire Bhourneasg, and a small cairn on the lower
top I mile to the south-west. Another \ mile farther to
the south-west is a top just below the 3,000 feet, named
Bhutha. The distance between this mountain and No. 4
is 2\ miles, and consists mainly of peat hags.
The views from all these mountains are good, though
the absence of water is a serious defect. The special
features are the great broad expanse of Strathmore, the
fine views of the southern side of the Cairngorms, con-
spicuous among which is the Devil's Peak, and especially
the grand view of Beinn a' Ghlo, which is nowhere seen to
such good effect.
H. T. M.
XLV. C
172 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
BEINN A' GHLO
(The Mountain of the Mist).
Division II. Section X.
Lat. 56° 51'; W. Lon. 3° 42'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheets 64 and 54.. Bartholomew's Reduced
Ordnance Survey Map, No. 16.
To the lover of breezy walks and wide views of bracing
air and fine scenery, the group of summits collectively
known as Beinn a' Ghlo is not to be despised. Standing
at one extremity of the great Forest of Atholl, their smooth
grey and green slopes and rounded tops are always a
prominent object in the landscape. These mountains
compose the group, and they are called —
1. Cam Liath (3,193), pron. Cairn Lee-a=: the hoary cairn. Lies
4J miles north-east of Blair Atholl. This is the mountain
usually pointed out as ** Beinn a Ghlo " from Blair Atholl.
2. Braigh Coire Chruin Bhalgain (3,505), pron. Brae Carrie Kruen
Va/gan=: the brae of the round bag-shaped corrie. Lies if
miles N.N.E. of Cam Liath.
3. Cam nan Gabhar (3,671), pron. Cairn na Gaur= the cairn of the
goat. This is the highest peak of Beinn a' Ghlo, and lies
8 miles north-east of Blair Atholl. It sends a shoulder to the
S.S.W., which in one mile terminates in a top called Airgoid
Bheinn (3,490 ap,),pron. Ar-gyud Ven=the silver mountain.
Blair Atholl is the most suitable point from which to
make the ascent, and the usual' way is to follow a winding
road up the side of the Fender till about 3 miles past
Loch Moraig, when a stiff pull up a scree and moss-covered
slope puts one on the top of Carn Liath. A better plan,
however, is to ascend Glen Tilt to about 2 miles beyond
Forest Lodge, and then at the junction of the Allt Fhean-
nach with the Tilt, strike at once up the north-west shoulder
of Carn nan Gabhar, and after the summit ridge is gained
a pleasant walk may be had to the cairn, with the fine
steep slopes of the mountain plunging down suddenly to
Loch Loch on the left hand. To include Airgoid Bheinn
Ben Vrackie. 173
a slight detour has to be made, involving a rise of about
175 feet. From Airgoid a straight line almost due north
can be made to the next col, and a rise of 700 feet places
one on the top of Braigh Coire Chruin Bhalgain. From
here a long 2 miles and a rise of 600 feet brings one to
Carn Liath, where the road to Blair Atholl is seen skirting
the base of the mountain, 1,600 feet below.
The views on a clear day are very extensive ; a full list
of the peaks within sight is given by Mr Munro in S,M,C,
Journal, Vol. II., p. 243.
The whole of the mountain is in deer forest.
W. D.
BEN VRACKIE.
Lat 56** 45' ; W. Lon. 3'' 43'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 55. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Survey Map, No. 16.
Ben Vrackie (the "Speckled Mountain" — 2,757 feet),
above the Pass of Killiecrankie, 3I miles north by east of
Pitlochry, from which place or from Killiecrankie Station
it is most easily ascended. The graceful outline of this
mountain above Pitlochry is familiar to all who have
travelled by the Highland Railway, and its somewhat
isolated position, 4I miles south by east of Cam Liath,
makes it a far more conspicuous object from a distance than
many a higher mountain. It is a very easy two hours'
walk to the top, and its proximity to a tourist centre com-
bined with the lovely view, the main feature of which is
the view up the valley of the Tummel and over the Moor
of Rannoch to the Buchaille Etives, makes it one of the
favourite tourist mountains in Scotland.
H. T. M.
174 l^f^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
BEINN DEARG AND CARN A* CHLAMAIN.
(Division II. Group XL)
Lat. 56° S3' and 56° 52'; W. Lon. 3° 53' and 3° 47'-
Ordnance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 64. Bartho-
lomew's Reduced Ordnance Survey, No. 16.
1. Beinn Dearg (3,304 feet), east of Glen Bruar, 7^ miles north of
Blair Atholl.
2. Cdrn a' Chlamain (3,159 feet), \\ miles north-west of Forest
Lodge, Glen Tilt.
From the watershed between the Tilt and the Dee a
large and inaccessible tract of land stretches west for 22
miles to the Highland Railway at Drumochter. In the
south-east corner of this district lie the two mountains
under notice.
I. Beinn Dearg (the "Red Mountain"), a conspicuous
object on the north side of the Highland Railway between
Blair Atholl and Dalnaspidal, can best be reached by a
rough road from Struan Station to Bruar Lodge. . The
pedestrian is recommended to visit the beautiful Falls of
Bruar, and then strike north-west over the moor till this
track is reached, and so to the Lodge — 1,500 feet — a walk
of 2\ hours. Hence a perfectly easy ascent of i J miles in
a north-east direction, up an easy shoulder, over short
heather and gravel of disintegrated granite, should place
one by the large cairn on the round level top in \\ hours.
The view, though lacking in foreground and suffering from
the want of water, is one of the most extensive in Scotland.
South-east just across Glen Tilt rises Carn Liath, and
through the gap between it and the two main peaks of
Beinn a' Ghlo is seen one of the Eastern Sidlaws. Carn
a' Chlamain is backed by Beinn a' Ghlo. Then farther
east is Glas Thulachan, with Carn an Righ slightly to the
left in front of it, the hills around the Cairnwell behind,
and Ben lutharn Mhor a little to the left. Farther away,
a little to the north of east, Lochnagar stands out. Then
35 miles off E.N.E., the pyramid of Morven above Ballater.
Beinn Dearg and Cam a' Chlamain, 175
Then the Cairngorms, uninteresting in shape. Farthest
away, and most to the right, the big flat mass of Ben a
Bhuird, Ben Macdhui next, Cairn Toul rather nearer,
and showing a sharper, more cone-like peak. Next, the
round summits connecting it with Braeriach, the black
southern corrie of which is plainly seen. More to the
left, across the depression of Loch Eunach, the rocky
top of Sgoran Dubh. North-west, rising from the dull
uninteresting foreground tableland, the round top of
Meall na Cuaich, some 10 miles off. A little to the
south of west, across Ben Udlaman and the Drumochter
hills, are seen the tops of the fine corries of Ben Alder.
These, with the long shoulder of Aonach Beag and Geal
Charn, Carn Dearg, and the other hills between Lochs
Ericht and Laggan, entirely shut out Ben Nevis and the
Lochaber hills. To their right, however, in the far distance,
is the Saddle at the head of Loch Hourn, 60 miles away.
Scour Ouran at the head of Loch Duich, Mamsoul, Carn
Eige, Riabhachan, and Scour na Lapich — all from 50 to 60
miles away — are plainly seen, and all look particularly
well. W.S. W. are the Buchailles and Glencoe hills ; to their
left, the Blackmount range, with the strangely straight-
topped Ben Starav showing behind. The north face of
Cruacban very distinct, with some Mull hills (probably
Dun na Ghaoithe, and Sgur Dearg or Ben Talaidh) to the
right Then the Glen Lyon mountains — Ben Creachan
asserting sovereignty ; Ben Laoigh, Stobinian, and Ben
More (curiously closely joined), and far beyond them Ben
Ime and the Loch Lomond bens. Schiehallion quite near,
with Ben Lawers peeping across his shoulders. And
beyond Lawers, Ben Voirlich, Stuc a Chroin, Ben Chonzie,
and the Ochils, not to speak of Ben Vrackie and the
Western Sidlaws — Dunsinane being unmistakable.
Nearly a mile due north a shoulder of the mountain
named Beinn Garbh (the '* Rough Mountain " — about 3,060
feet) rises to a doubtful top, while much more distinct,
2 miles to the south-east, separated by a considerable dip,
another top, Beinn a Chait (" Mountain of the Cat," 2,942
feet), is boldly situated above Gleann Diridh.
An alternative route to Beinn Dearg is from Blair
176 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
AthoU by keeping the west bank of the Tilt for about
4 miles, and then ascending by Gleann Diridh ("Glen
of the Ascent ") to its head, or over Beinn a Chait
2. Carn a' Chlamain (the " Kite's Cairn"). The one-
inch Ordnance Survey Map gives no name, and only a
3,000 feet contour for this mountain. Bartholomew calls
it Cirn Clabhain. On the six-inch map, however, it is
called Cirn a' Chlamain, and its height, 3,159 feet, given
(cairn on. top). It can be easily reached from Blair Atholl
in 3 to 3i hours by following up Glen Tilt to a little
beyond Marble Lodge, which is 4J miles from Blair Atholl,
and then ascending the Cruinnich {ix, " Gathering ") Bum.
It is a quartzite mountain, and looks imposing from Glen
Tilt, showing a steep front. The walk from this mountain
to Beinn Dearg involves a descent of fully 1,000 feet, and
will take over 2 hours.
H. T. M.
AN SGARSOCH AND CARN AN FHIDLEIR.
(Division II. Group XII.)
Lat. 56° 56'; W.Lon. 3"* 45' and 3° 48'. Ordnance
Survey Map, one-inch scale. Sheet 64. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Survey Map, No. 16.
1. An Sgarsoch (3,300 feet), 4 miles west from summit of path from
Blair Atholl to Braemar via Glen Tilt.
2. Carn an Fhidleir (the "Fiddler's Cairn** — 3,276 feet), 2 miles
east of An Sgarsoch.
Separated from the last group by the headwaters of
the Tarf, and lying between that river and the Geldie and
Feshie, these two mountains are among the most inaccessible
in Scotland. Moreover, their wide-stretching, featureless
uplands and wealth of peat, do not commend them to the
mountaineer, especially lying between and overtopped by
Beinn a* Ghlo and the Western Cairngorms. They are
easiest approached from Braemar, whence there is a good
driving road to the Linn of Dee — 6 miles — and a fair,
though rather rough, road for 6 miles farther to Bynack
Lodge. From here the summit of An Sgarsoch is nearly
Gaick Forest. 177
5 miles distant. The Bynack Burn is followed for about
3 miles, and then the eastern shoulder of the mountain
attacked. This rises to a separate top — Druim Sgarsoch
(3,128 feet) — both name and height being only given on
the six-inch map. An Sgarsoch, | mile west, with little
intermediate dip, is a large flat grassy tableland. There is
a big well-built cairn on the actual top, which is otherwise
unworthy of note.
Cam an Fhidleir lies 2 miles west by north, and entails
a drop of over 1,000 feet between. The summit is equally
flat and featureless, and the small cairn quite unworthy of
the meeting point of three counties.
From Blair Atholl there is a good road to Forest Lodge
(8 miles), and a fair path thence to about 2\ miles above
the Falls of Tarf, some 17 miles from Blair Atholl. Here
strike up the Allt a Glas Choire (" Burn of the Grey
Corrie'*), in a northerly direction for the summit of An
Sgarsoch, which is about 2^ miles off.
A third means of approach is to ascend Glen Feshie to
the point at which the river turns sharply south-west, /.^.,
near the watershed between the Feshie and the Geldie, 1,800
feet above the sea, some 16 miles from Kincraig Station on
the Highland Railway, driving being practicable for about
10 miles. Climb from here due south for about 2 miles to
Carn an Fhidleir.
H. T. M.
GAICK FOREST.
(Division H. Group XHI.)
Lat 56° 58' ; W. Lon. 4' 8'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale. Sheet 64. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Survey Map, No. 16.
Glas Mheall Mor - - - 3,037 feet
Meall a* Chaoruinn - - - 3,004 „
Cam na Cairn - - - - 3,087 „
Meall na Cuaich - - 3,120 „
This group of hills, which forms the eastern side of the
Drumochter Pass, extends from Dalnaspidal to Dalwhinnie
on the Highland Railway.
178 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
In general character they very much resemble the
Monadhliadth Hills, consisting as they do of a high un-
dulating plateau. Meall na Cuaich, although the lowest in
height, is the only peak of the four with any individuality.
The traverse of the group offers nothing of interest to
the rock-climber, but to the hill-walker it affords an ideal
excursion, with fine views of the Cairngorm and Loch
Ericht hills, as well as beautiful glimpses into Glens Garry
and Tromie.
The main ridge is easily reached either from Dalwhinnie
or Dalnaspidal. The best route is from Dalnaspidal Station,
following the ridge which runs in a north-easterly direction
to the top of Glas Meall Mor and thence over Meall a
Chaoruinn and Cam na Cairn to Meall na Cuaich; the
latter is separated from the main ridge by a dip of 750 feet.
The corrie to the south of Bogha Cloiche is the sanctuary
of the Gaick Deer Forest, and should be avoided during
the shooting season.
A very fine cross-country walk passes to the east of this
group. Starting from Edendon, 5 miles south of Dalna-
spidal Station, a hill road leads to Loch an Duin, where
it degenerates into a track ; passing Lochs Bhradain and
an t'Seilich, it joins the Glen Tromie road at Gaick Lodge,
and thence by it to Kingussie ; distance approximately
26 miles.
H. VV.
EXCURSIONS.
The Editor will be glad to receive brief notices of any noteworthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles^ but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no difficulty in imparting information
in the other form.
A New Climb on Carn Dearg of Ben Nevis.— The con-
tinuous record of maximum sunshine on ** The Ben " during the early
days of June tempted Charles W. Walker and Harry Walker to pay
a week-end visit to Fort- William, which was reached in the small
hours of the morning of the nth June via Ballachulish.
When climbing the Castle Ridge during the New Year Meet the
possibility of a climb up the north face of Cam Dearg had suggested
itselfy and a route which seemed feasible was spotted.
Accordingly after an early breakfast a start was made by the
usual route to the Luncheon Stone in the Allt a Mhuilinn Corrie,
which was duly reached well under the scheduled time. Continuing
by the ordinary route to the Castle, the large snowfield which unites
the North and South Castle Gullies was soon afterwards reached. A
welcome halt was now made under the shade of the great cliff which
forms the north face of Cam Dearg.
On this cliff, which practically runs from the Staircase Climb to
the South Castle Gully, there are two well-marked watercourses
which when seen at New Year were solid ice falls. Between these
lay the projected climb. Seen from below no definite route could be
mapped out, but it appeared that if an outstanding pinnacle of rock
could be reached, about six hundred feet up, there was a possibility
of the remainder going.
After an easy scramble, the bottom of the watercourse nearest
the Castle was reached, and the rope put on, C. W. Walker leading.
The climb was first up easy rocks on the right of this watercourse
until the top of the first pitch was reached ; here some difficulty
was experienced in crossing the gully so as to gain a footihg on the
buttress itself. In order to do so a series of wet slabs had to be
crossed before the first hitch was reached right under a waterfall, and
ere this point of vantage could be quitted, both climbers were pretty
well soaked to the skin.
Continuing the ascent to the left, an easy ledge led up to a grassy
platform now right on the buttress about half way between the two
watercourses, from whence a series of steep pitches and short chimneys
led up to the pinnacle previously mentioned. What appeared to be
i8o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
a detached pinnacle from below now resolved itself into a huge slab
of rock cut off from the main face, except where a narrow tongue of
snow formed a bridge and a possible means of escape. On the point
of the slab overlooking the watercourse nearest the Staircase Climb,
a small cairn was erected.
Descending the snow a short distance, a narrow grass ledge was
attained, which led round a most sensational comer ; looking down-
wards nothing caught the eye until the screes were reached a good
eight hundred feet below. Two possible routes now offered them-
selves, one going to the left and one straight up. The latter was chosen.
After two hundred feet of very steep rocks, which, unless for the
excellent hand and foot holds, would have been well-nigh impossible,
a platform on a level with the top of the Staircase Climb was reached.
One short chimney was much shattered, and had evidently been quite
recently struck by lightning.
From this point it looked as if it would be quite easy to join the
Staircase Climb, but the rocks straight up looked attractive, and
although in no place difficult, they proved most interesting. The
latter part of the climb is somewhat indefinite, owing to the number
of alternative routes offering themselves, but the one followed to the
point about half way between Cam Dearg proper and the top of the
South Castle Gully seemed to offer the best climbing.
The climb, which, as far as is known, is a new one, was most
interesting throughout, the angle of the first eight hundred to one
thousand feet being exceedingly steep, but abounding in excellent
hitches. It is difficult to say whether the climb would be feasible
under winter conditions, as ice-covered rocks at several points would
have stopped progress.
Altogether about five and a half hours were spent on the climb,
but possibly an hour might be deducted from this time, as a good deal
of exploring had to be done.
A visit to the Observatory and Restaurant made a fitting finish
to a successful day. On the way down a visit was paid to the Tower,
and the cornices at the top of the Observatory Gully were much
admired. A standing glissade in the snow gully leading to the half-
way hut greatly facilitated the descent.
The North-East Buttress.— On Sunday, the 12th June, the
North-East Buttress was tackled. Starting from the bottom of
Slingsby's Chimney, a good climb to the platform was obtained about
one hundred and fifty feet to the left of the Chimney itself. The
summit was reached by the usual route.
In course of the ascent a huge avalanche was seen, having its
origin high up in the gully between the Observatory Ridge and the
North-East Buttress ; it fell into the large snowfield, and thundered
down into the valley below. Many large blocks of hard snow bounded
Excursions. i8i
down until die screes were reached, when they burst like huge sheUs,
scatteiiiig die stones in all directions. Any party caught crossing
to Sliiigsby's Chimney would have been most effectually wiped out.
H. W.
Sron Creise. — With the prospect of doing some new climbs
oo SroD Crdse, a party of four — S. F. M. Gumming, A. E. M'Kenzie,
W. NL Wilson, and F. Greig — arrived at Kingshouse on i6th
ApriL Two of os, leaving Edinburgh with the 4.50 A.M. train to
Bridge of Orchy, enjoyed the thirteen-mile walk over to Kingshouse.
It was a typical April day, with occasional showers and a dear
bracing air. The hills carried a good deal of snow, and promised
some sporL
Stob Gabhar looked particularly tempting, the corrie being filled
with snow and sparkling in the sun through the passing mist Once
at B^ Bridge, such a view met us as would please the eye of the most
&stidioiis mountaineer. The whole of the Corrie Bk was a mass of
gleaming snow from MeaU a Bhuiridh on the right away round to
Stob a Choire Odhair on the left. The latter was alpine in the
extreme, with its snow-filled gullies and overhanging cornices showing
up to the best advantage. W^e arrived at Kingshouse at 2 P.M., and
the remainder of the part>', leaving Edinburgh with the afternoon
train, ajrived shortly after 10 o'clock, not ha\nng enjoyed the drive
over in the heavy showers. The morning of the 17th broke out fine
and soxmy, and we were on our way for Sron Creise at 9 .\.^c. Our
peak looked really noble and most inviting, and we were looking
forward to tackling A. P. rocks and snow slopes as they appeared from
hdow. The whole &ce of buttresses and gullies seemed to tower over
cor heads at impossible angles, but once on them, at least on the
rocks, we were undeceived. We intended taking the ridge which
leads almost straight to the northern summit, as viewed from Kings-
house. We followed the Glen Etive road for about one and a half
miles, and forded the river, which process we found extremely
refreshing.
We were soon on the rocks, and after a not uninteresting rock
scramble, gained the top, not having met with any serious difliculty.
The snow was avoided as it was in rotten condition, huge masses
rushing down the centre of the gullies. About 200 feet from the
summit, towards the north and across a steep snow gully which
we did not care to touch, there was a short buttress leading direct to
the summit, which seemed to offer a good climb. It was ver\^ steep —
in &ct, perpendicular at parts — but was well broken up.
The walk along the ridge to the cairn was much enjo\*ed amidst
alpine scenery. The entire ridge without a break was heavily
corniced- We were at the cairn at 3 P.M., having taken the ^^oins;
very easily. Enormous cornices were hanging out immediately below
1 82 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the cairn, over the precipices, which looked formidable, not to say
impossible.
We were anxious to include Meall a Bhuiridh, and made tracks for
the weakest part of the cornice which barred our way to the col. An
hour and a half was spent in cutting a staircase through this, and great
care had to be taken, as the slope on either side of the crest was
excessive, with many jagged rocks scattered about to impede our
flight if a slip had occurred. A fine glissade took us to the saddle,
and we were soon on the summit of Meall a Bhuiridh.
We descended towards the Black Rock cottage, which we reached
at 7 P.M., and were at the inn, where the familiar mutton chop and
poached ^%% awaited us. Bread here is a luxury and potatoes
unknown. Sron Creise is well worth exploring, as we saw many bits
which offered sport, and the rock is generally good — like Stob Dearg
across the valley. The gullies in winter would be highly sporting.
On the 1 8th we visited the Buchaille Etive M6r, leaving at 6 A.M.,
intending to try the Central Buttress. As we had to be back at the
inn at twelve to be in time for our train home, we found the time at
our disposal was too limited and had to beat a retreat. We traversed
on to the foot of the Curved Ridge, a part of which we ascended to
about opposite the foot of the Crowberry Ridge. We descended by
the Easy Gully, and a magnificent glissade carried us rapidly to the
screes below. We forded the Etive, and two of the party, finding
the temptation too great, divested themselves of their clothing, and
enjoyed a bathe in its clear pools. We were back at the inn at 12.30,
and were sorry to turn our backs on this ideal climbing centre.
Francis Greig.
Camping in the Cairngorms.— Excepting the accounts of an
occasional night or two spent under the Shelter Stone, there are few
records of camping in the Cairngorms, the only way to really know
these magnificent mountains. With A. B. Duncan I spent a most
enjoyable week among them, our only disappointment being that our
proposed fortnight's stay was curtailed by a treacherous attack of
lumbago made upon one of the party, so severe that it made retreat
imperative, and prevented us from trying several climbs planned
during the week. Unaccomplished, however, as was our full pro-
gramme, the following notes may be not without interest.
Saturday^ i6tA July, — Trained from Aberdeen ; motored from
Ballater ; drove from Braemar to Derry Lodge, whence carried
rucksacks, tents, provisions, &c., to the head of Loch Avon.
Sunday y 17th July. — A perfect day. Went down the Avon to about
a mile above the mouth of the AUt Cumhang na Coinnich, from which
point made for Beinn a* Bhuird (3,924}. View magnificent. Thence
by Cnap a' Chleirich (circ. 3,750) and the Sneck to Ben Avon (3,843),
returning by Beinn a' Bhuird, Beinn a' Chaoruinn Beag (3,326), and
Beinn a' Chaoruinn (3,553).
Excursions, 183
Monday y 18/A J^fy- — Again perfect weather. Explored the head
of the Feith Buidhe, finding a splendid example of a bergschrund over
100 yards long. Climbed Cairngorm (4,084) by Choire Domhain and
the edge of the fine Choire an t-Sneachda, getting from the top a
glorious view, especially to the north-west. Returned by Choire
Raibert and the bum flowing thence to Loch Avon.
Tuesday y i^th July, — Still another perfect day. Did Beinn
Mheadhoin (3,883), getting good scrambles on the rocks on its north-
west shoulder and on the bams. Thence went by Loch Etchachan to
Derry Cairngorm (3,788), returning by the west side of the loch. In
the evening took half of our luggage up to the head of the Garbh Uisge
Beag (irreverently dubbed the Wee Whisky-Carrier). Returned by the
gully immediately to the west of the Shelter Stone Crag, getting home
after 10 p.m. The gully we named the Pinnacle Gully from a mag-
nificent pinnacle at its head, which from its appearance we named the
Forefinger Pinnacle, but which we had no time to attack.
Wednesday^ 20th July, — A glorious moming. Carried the re-
mainder of our impedimenta to the source of the Garbh Uisge Beag.
Thence climbed Ben Muich Dhui, getting a view of a lifetime.
Descended to Glen Dee by the Allt a Choire Mhoir, and pitched tent
high up on the banks of the Allt Choire an t-Saighdeir, Caimtoul and
the DeviPs Point looming most imposingly above us. Misty and raining
in the evening.
Thursday y 21st July. — Rain fell all night. Went down to Aviemore
for letters and provisions by the Lairg (distinctly Ghmamach this
moming), in mist so thick that we never saw the pool of the Dee
nearest to the track ! The jagged crags of Creag na Leacainn seen
through the mist were quite Coolin-like. Lunched luxuriously in the
hotel, and then in a drizzling mist walked up by Coylum Bridge to the
upper bothy in Loch Eunach, where spent night.
Friday y 22nd July. — A fine moming though misty. After photo-
graphing the loch and the Sgoran Dubh, set out for our tent by Choire
Dhonndail. Care should be taken at the top, for, not consulting the
compass, we went too far south and reached the head of Glen
Geusachan. Thence turned north to An Garbh Choire and found a
well-marked deer track (cf. C. C. y., Vol. IV., p. 200). Before de-
scending did the AngePs Peak (4,095), going far enough down the
ridge which separates the An Garbh Choire from the Choire an Lochan
Uaine and which we named "The Angelas Ladder," to see that it
would give a splendid scramble.
Saturday y 2yrd July. — Did Braeriach in thick mist by. the ridge
separating Choire Bhrochain from Choire Ruadh. In ascending, one
half of our party had to yield to lumbago and retrace his steps. The
other half, after lunching at the caim, went along to Sron na Lairg
(3,839), and descending its steep sides into the Lairg, climbed the
still steeper sides of Creag na Leacainn. Visited its two caims (3,365
and 3,448), then went home via the Pools.
184 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JournaL
Sunday^ 2^hjuly. — Climbed Caimtoul in mist by the well-defined
south-east ridge. As on Braeriach, nb view. Carried our luggage
down Glen Dee to the Linn, where we encamped for the night, return-
ing next day to Aberdeen. Hugh Stewart.
CiR Mhor and the Sannox Ridges. — On 13th August Mr
A. S. Macharg and I paid a visit to these hills. We left Corrie Hotel
at 7.15 A.M., and going slowly, reached a large boulder near the top of
Upper Glen Sannox about 9.40 a.m.
The weather was very unpropitious. The clouds were down nearly
to the 1,500 foot line, and remained so all day, so that we were seven
hours in the mist. When we reached the upper glen, rain began, and
it lasted nearly two hours, so that we got soaked.
We attacked Cir Mhor by the ridge to the left of the gully marked
K on the sketch in the Journal^ Vol. V., p. 30. When we reached the
ledge marked J, we proceeded along it a short distance till we found a
break in the rock due to a trap dyke. We ascended this without diffi-
culty, and then climbing the rocks directly above — which also gave
no particular trouble — we reached the summit about 11.40, the climb
having taken about ij hours. This climb is an almost direct ascent
from the glen to the summit. The upper part does not seem to have
been recorded in the Journal.
The weather conditions disinclined us for further face climbing, so
we proceeded for the Castles, which we reached without difficulty.
Our next objective was the Witch's Step, and this proved a trouble.
I had forgotten my map, which was probably an advantage, as it places
the Step on the wrong ridge. I had also forgotten the position of the
ridge leading to it relatively to that leading from Cir Mhor.
We accordingly followed the main ridge from the top of the Castles,
which proved surprisingly easy, whilst the Step did not appear, though
one gap was at first mistaken for it in the mist. Finally we got below
the mist, to find ourselves on the north side of North Glen Sannox.
Just here there was a high precipitous cliff, seemingly called Creag
Dubh. At the end of this was a gully leading to the glen. It had
two or three pitches, and seemed likely to afford a climb, but as it was
not certain we might not get into difficulties through meeting a too
high pitch, we decided not to descend it.
Retracing our steps along the ridge, we found ourselves back at the
nearest of the Castles without having discovered the ridge we were
looking for. We accordingly descended considerably, and continued
working our way round. Presently we reached a pile of rocks that
suggested we were back on Cir Mhor, but it speedily proved to be on
the ridge we were in search of, and after some scrambling we reached
the Step. The mist was here so dense that we only once or twice saw
the loom of the other side of the Step till we had nearly reached the
bottom of the gap.
Excursions. 185
Having negotiated the Step, we proceeded along the unreasonably
long ridge of Suidhe Feargus, and emerged from the mist when well
down towards its steep northern end. The hotel was regained about
6 P.M.
This expedition showed the difficulty of hitting the Witch's Step
Ridge from the Castles when in mist. Owing to its being at right
angles to the main ridge of the Castles, and being reached by a steep
descent, we could not find it when picking our way along the edge of
the main ridge of the Castles, which was the one which led us astray.
J. Maclay.
The Honorary Secretary desires to intimate that Mr Rickmers,
in addition to his former generous gift of Skis to the Club, has
entrusted to him personally about eleven pairs of Skis, with the
request that he would present these to any Members of the S.M.C.
who might be desirous of learning the sport of Skiing, and who
would take the matter up in earnest. Those Members who have
opportunities for the sport will kindly apply to the Honorary Secretary,
and refer to the above note.
Robert Kerr Parr. — The Club has lost one of its finest spirits
and one of its keenest and most skilled climbers, by the sudden and
untimely death of Robert Kerr Parr, on the 28th of May 1904. He
only joined the Club in 1902, and was not therefore perhaps very
widely known, but those who did know him saw that in him which
ranked him amongst the best of men. To those who climbed with
him on Ben Nevis at the New Year Meet and in April, his cheery
good humour, his unselfishness, his true appreciation of all that is so
beautiful in the hills we love, not to speak of his strength and skill in
climbing, will ever be a memory and an inspiration ; and to some of
us, whose acquaintanceship with him was fast ripening into friendship,
his death is loss indeed. Yet it need not be all regret. In a letter dated
6th May he writes, '* May we have many more climbs together," and
it were hard to think that we will not.
<(
. . . less of sorrow lives in me,
For days of happy commune dead,
Less yearning for the friendship fled,
Than some strong bond which is to be."
A. E. R.
\
THE SCOTTISH
MonntRinttxirtQ Club 3onxml
Vol. VIII. January 1905. No. 46.
RANDOM MUSINGS.
By Stair A. Gillon.
Scotland has limits. I do not possess a full set of the
Journal^ but I feel certain that in one of them there will
be found an eloquent description of a view from a high and
central Ben, which, in addition to the inevitable Arthur's
Seat and Barra Head, embraced the Bell Rock, Cumber-
land, Ireland, and the cliffs of the Hoy, and dazzled the
ey^s of the — probably solitary — wanderer. One man has
listed all the peaks of and above 3,000 feet high, and another
has climbed them.
The Guide Book advances north and west as relent-
lessly as "civilisation" moves west across the continent
of America, and everything illuminating of a geological,
zoological, or botanical character has been, or is being, told
us by experts. Well then, some one may say, tell us about
a new climb, or an escape from a storm, a savage stag, or
a keeper ; anything new, instructive, or bizarre. Unfortu-
nately, I am blind to the wayside pimpernel, deaf to the
nightingale, never reached the fourth chapter of McMillan's
Geology, and if I have done a new climb it has been by
missing one of the milestones on the North-East Buttress.
I have therefore absolutely nothing instructive or interesting
to say about Mountaineering.
Humbly incompetent, and frequently sleepless from a
sense of fatuousness in these ill-strung reflections, I can
only plead love of the Scottish mountains as the sole link
in coherence, and hope that some such notions as the
XLVI. A
1 88 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
following have attacked the brains of some of my Clutr
mates in their less guarded moments.
Has any one else, I wonder, sat brooding on a summer
evening over a Johnston or Bartholomew, gazing in a queer
meditative kind of way, " like Meredith's idiot," hypnotised
by the plethora of good things for the morrow ? Is it to
be Ben Alder or the Traprain Law? When must I be
home ? Will the trains suit ? Is it to be a 4 A.M., 6 A.M.,.
or after breakfast start ? These and countless other com-
plicating cares make one oblivious of all, till bang goes
"the iron tongue of midnight," and nothing is planned.
Sleep, two pantomimes of calisthenics, and packing have
to be done before the start. Ah well ! well see the morn's
morn. Now, why is it that if the weather is bad we wake
up, and if fine we sleep in ? For the same reason probably
that when you arrange to golf for a week, it is so settled
and sultry you can hardly crawl round Machrihanish, while
on Ben Nevis summit it is balmy as Gilead. Possibly from
this uncertainty of Scottish weather — now all the worse
that the controlling hand of our friends the observers has
been removed — uncertainty with the balance tilted on the
"bad" side that makes a successful expedition such un-
alloyed exultation, such an indelible memory. For my
part I frankly confess to a preference for conventionally
fine weather, viz., either no rain or small showers, only
clear air, and plenty sun. The hills don't need the magni-
fying and eery illusion of mist, rain is a nuisance, and an
anticyclone often encloses one's hill top in a ring fence of
heat haze, fifteen miles off on all sides. This latter is an
intense disappointment, if, say, Meall na Cuaich has been
climbed " between trains," when en route for the North, for
the grand view so clearly set forth by Mr Munro, but
would be just the weather for a "climb," for then the view
is merely incidental. Unfortunately, as it is best to climb-
at least in couples, plans have to be arranged, and it so
happens that in some dozen Highland "climbs," I have
never escaped with a dry skin, and have frequently so
rejoiced, that the bad conditions came too late for the
most ticklish portion, that it has seemed out of place to
grumble at sloppy boots, a hot reception on the plateau ^
Random Musings, 189
and the groping compass-guided descent. A grind in a
real downpour, say, up Beinn Chaluim and on to Craig
Mhor, coming back by the railway loop to Tyndrum has
a real wild joy of its own. No improvement is expected,
no hopes held out. But to start on a bicycle to ride twenty
miles to the longed-for mountain's foot and find that a
panting rush brings one up just an hour late, and that
nothing is on show, is as saddening as frequent. Whereas,
given good weather, it is an easy day to leave the links of
Machrie, and return by the dusk of an April evening after
visiting the summit of Beinn an Oir, from which can be
descried as if laid out on a map, the ancient kingdom of
the Isles, the land of the oared galley, of warriors as
remote as Fingal, as authentic as Coll Kittach, and from
which can be surveyed the home of Siol Diarmid, the clan
that most worked the fall of the " Douglases of the High-
lands," the almost royal house of Somerled.
But, to return to the hills, what is the attraction of a
view ? Mr Baddeley, I think, it is who has made out quite
a case for monotony and dulness as the rewards of a
Highland ascent, and compares the views seen from our
Bens with the more proportioned and complete pictures
which are to be got by climbing the fells of the Lake
District. Many have followed Horace Walpole in his
opinion that a mountain looks best from the foot, and told
us that the most beautiful things in nature are the limited
compact beauties of a pass or a partial vista of a loch. I
shall not attempt to controvert this, but assert that the
mountaineer goes first in search of " a new land " — some-
thing utterly different from his everyday surroundings —
and secondly in search of knowledge. As remarked before
Scotland is small, and is pre-eminently a country of land-
marks. The so-called Lowlands bristle with them, and
the Highlands are a positive storehouse of mountain forms
of distinctive and ingratiating individuality, from the " V *'
of Ben More and Stobinian to the knobs of Ben Loyal.
And this is the abiding joy — to see old friends from a new
point of view, and to show them to others. Three well-
chosen peaks would reveal the prevailing common features
of a Scottish top, /.^., the sea of peaks, the shutting out of
190 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
glens, the stiffness of those lochs which can be seen, and
finally the sea. One panorama can never be in a super-
ficial way vastly different from another. But once each
Ben gets his personality well wedged into the brain, the
view is no longer a bewildering effect, but a detailed and
understood picture, so stimulative to pure contemplation,
that one can realise that to say, " Und meine Seele spannte
weit ihre Fliigel aus," is no exaggeration under such
conditions.
But the whole attitude of men towards mountains is
like all else, subject to change and development. To the
eye of a tyro Ben Vourie from the nearest Cruachan peak
looks a " horrid precipice " ; the CuUins looks to the tourist,
on the rare occasions when it deigns to show itself in all its
superb nudity, like a forbidding and inaccessible fretsaw.
To the eye of an expert every hill face is scarred and pock-
marked by an imaginary dotted line, up which he can see a
path where others see none, and every splinter from
Garsbheinn to Sgur nan Gillean is full of meaning. It is
the advance from ignorance and awe to knowledge and
appreciation. People do not collapse into bogs or at once
tumble down precipices because a mist comes on. These
chimeras and exaggerations on the lines of those of the
English sportsman, whose estimate of Braeriach has
recently delighted readers of the Journal^ seem as far off as
the eighteenth century. What one does begin to realise is
there are certain risks to be run, and if a leg is broken and
no one is there or comes within, shall we say, the next
sixty-four days, unpleasant consequences ensue, and that
two stones may be barely a safe support on a good-going
glissade. It is rather like the substitution of a perfectly
rational fear of footpads for a groundless dread of ghosts
and evil spirits — the fear being of course relative to the
likelihood of molestation and the nerves of the wanderer in
the darkness.
I confess to having once had a feeling of presumption,
meriting retribution, when I first took to the hills, and after
bagging some top not more alarming than Cam Liath,
thought of continuing my road to the greater glories of Ben
a Gloe. It all looked so menacing and gigantic. But now
Random Musings. 191
I'm afraid thoughts of dinner and a hot bath would have
more weight as a check on a record-breaking high-level trot.
And what better subject with which to conclude than the
evening calm after a hard day ? Unlike the hills it does
not admit of descriptive detail. One eminent writer on a
nameless foreign country contrives to impress one with the
idea not only that he is a bold pioneer, but that in the " off"
season he would usually be found in the Carlton or the
Caf6 Royal. It is hardly worth while to utter rhapsodies
on ham and eggs and the local whisky, only to perhaps
create an impression, probably entirely wrongly, of being
an alcoholic subject and inordinately greedy. No, these
very real joys are to be spoken cautiously to the true
sympathiser, and not committed to the publicity of print,
because a few poets have succeeded in voicing the joys of
the feast.
None the less these joys are very real, and from a
purely hedonistic standpoint a doubt may be expressed
whether the non-smoker and drinker can get the same
pleasure out of these same evening hours. M. Anatole
France puts into the mind of a dog the thought that,
though to eat is good, to have eaten is better. Now the
self-indulgent cannot deny that one poison attacks his
wind, and the other adds extraneous supplies to the fatigue
products of his system. But he is not looking at life as a
whole ; he accepts " his lining after waiting all day long *'
in the appreciative spirit of the above-mentioned animal,
and one can understand the following soliloquy with which
I shall now close these chaotic jottings : — " This room is
at this moment the most delightful place in the world to
me. There are two accompaniments to a sedentary and
unoccupied existence which, whatever their physiological
effect, will act as they have done before, and intensify my
present joys. In fact they never taste so well as when I
feel like this. How do I know what to-morrow will be
like ? Let it look after itself Here goes for a nip of the
Auld Kirk and a fill of the pipe. There's plenty cold water,
and as for the waste tissue the stae brae will soon banish
it to dissolve in the circumambient ether ; so here's to
many more days on the hills."
192 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
THE CAIRNGORMS FROM DEESIDE.
By James Maclay.
Deeside and the Cairngorms have a literature of their own,
dealing with their physical features in so complete a fashion
that a mere outsider seeking to record the impressions of
a single visit fears to incur the charge of presumption.
Still, the writer believes that to many members of the
Club the subject will not be too familiar, and the
Journal does not teem with papers dealing with this part
of the country.
To one acquainted with the West Perthshire and
Argyllshire hills, the Cairngorms form a contrast which is
decidedly interesting, more particularly as viewed from
Deeside. A first view of the Cairngorms from Kingussie,
or even from Aviemore, is apt to be a sort of disillusionment
They seem mere heavy humps, like the Ayrshire and
Galloway hills. But from Deeside they are seen, as it were,
in their proper setting, and they are found to possess a
character and charm of their own, with their broad tops,
their smooth, fir-wooded hillsides, and other features that
distinguish them from their more rugged and picturesque
western brothers.
To understand the Cairngorms one must begin by
noting the slow and gradual fall of the Dee valley from the
" White Bridge," about nine miles above Braemar, to the
sea. Braemar is about i,ioo feet, Linn o' Dee over 1,200 feet,
and the White Bridge 1,300 feet above sea level, and this
broad upper valley is perhaps the most considerable one in
Scotland at such a height above the sea. Yet there is no
sudden or rapid descent anywhere. From the White Bridge
to the ocean there is a slow and uniform fall.
The sources of the Dee are the highest of any large
river in Scotland, and its fall is at first rapid. From the
Wells of Dee it descends about 2,000 feet in little over two
miles, and the fall of the stream that rises on Ben Macdhui
is steeper still. A fall of 700 feet more in the next seven
or eight miles brings us to the White Bridge, where the
The Cairngorms from Deeside, 193
river turns sharply to the left as it joins the Geldie Burn*
and enters a wide level valley. Even before this, the Dee
is much the largest stream to be found at a similar height
in Scotland. From this point it falls almost uniformly at
the rate of 20 or 30 feet per mile, and follows an almost
direct easterly course till it reaches the sea.
Above the White Bridge, Glen Dee forms a deep cleft
between the eastern and western Cairngorms, rising to the
great gap of the Larig Ghru ; and this feature, with the
general smooth and rounded contours of the hills, the slow
but regular fall of the river bed, and the fact that the
stream has cut back through such rock barriers as it meets
at Linn o' Dee and Chest of Dee, seems to stamp it as of
great geological age.
But our concern is with the hills rather than with the
valleys. The writer's acquaintance with them from this side
was made during a stay at Linn o' Dee. The road from
Braemar to Linn o' Dee gives, at one point or another, a
view of every important summit of the Cairngorms, except
Braeriach. Near Braemar the majestic dome of Cairntoul
is the feature of the view, but at Inverey he has disappeared
and Ben Macdhui takes his just pre-eminence. Beyond
Inverey the nearer hills shut off the view.
From Linn o* Dee the hills may be approached in two
ways. The natural way is by the Dee valley, which has
been described, but the more direct and interesting route is
by Glen Lui, which is certainly the route by which to see
the Cairngorms from this side, and the junction of Glen
Lui and Glen Derry is the strategic point from which to
explore the whole range. Here the road ends at Derry
Lodge, and quite near is Lui Beg, which is more accessible
to the ordinary climber.
It was one afternoon towards the close of a fortnight
spent at Linn o' Dee, during which he had been gradually
learning the approaches, that the writer found himself at
Lui Beg in search of a point of view from which to scan
* The Geldie Glen is the true head of the Dee valley, as a glance
at the map will show. Apparently a considerable part of Upper Glen
Feshie formerly drained into it, though the water now goes the opposite
way owing to a change in the watershed.
194 ^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the higher peaks which he was precluded from climbing.
An inspection of the map seemed to designate Cam a
Mhaim as the best point of view for the purpose. It is a
hill of 3,328 feet high lying between the valleys of the Lui
and the Dee. The path by Lui Beg to Glen Dee and the
Lang Ghru skirts its southern side. The ascent is sim-
plicity itself, and the afternoon of his arrival at Lui Beg
found the writer on the summit (which is seen from
Braemar, but is not visible from Lui Beg). The view
proved to be almost all that had been expected. The
whole south-east face of the group was well seen from
Cairngorm of Derry on the right to Ben Bhrotain
(Vrottan) on the left. The true Cairngorm was concealed
by Ben Macdhui, and Angel Peak by Cairntoul, but all the
other tops were seen. The most impressive features of the
scene were the bare stony slopes of Cairngorm of Derry
and Ben Macdhui, the huge bastion-like Devil's Point at
the junction of the deep valleys of Glen Dee, and Glen
Guisachan and the familiar gap of the Larig at the head
of the former glen, whilst one heard far beneath the cease-
less brawling of the river. In the opposite direction the
valley of the Dee around Braemar lay open, with " dark
Lochnagar " rising beyond, whilst to the south-west Ben y
Gloe was prominent, and in the far distance lay SchiehallioHr
Ben Lawers, and the West Perthshire hills.
The following day opened dull and unpromising, the
tops being shrouded in mist, and the writer set out to
explore Glen Derry without any definite aim. The lower
part of the glen was a surprise. Instead of a narrow,
steep-sided glen, there was a wide open level valley,
sheltering one of the finest remnants of the old Caledonian
forest. Presently there came a rise, and then the lower
end of an old lake bed, which extended for two or three
miles up the valley, was reached. Just then the granite
pinnacles on the summit of Ben Mheadoin (Vain) became
uncovered right ahead, with light mists playing about them
and the sun shining through. The effect on the writer was
somewhat like what Dante felt when from out of the
savage wood he beheld the sun-tipped mountain, and he
felt he must ascend it.
The Cairngorms from Deeside. 19?
A reference to the map showed that the best line of
attack was by Loch Etchachan, and so he followed the
valley to where Corrie Etchachan opens to the left. It
was rather a pull up by the old moraine to the loch, but he
was rewarded by the sight of a stretch of water, nearly half
a mile long, at the height of 3,100 feet above the sea —
nearly as high as the summit of Ben Lomond ! From the
loch it was a plain grind to the top of Ben Macdhui,* but
too far for the writer then. It was an easy walk to the
top of Ben Mheadoin (3,883 feet), which proved to be the
best point of view he could have found for seeing the
Cairngorms from that side. The remarkable granite
pinnacle that crowns the summit gave a little scrambling.
The western Cairngorms, from Cairntoul northwards^
were concealed by Ben Macdhui, but the view included the
whole sweep of the eastern group ; with Loch Etchachan
nestling beneath the steep slopes at the margin of the
upper plateau of Ben Macdhui, and Loch Avon lying dark
at the foot of Cairngorm, its upper end commanded by the
huge cliffs which buttress Ben Macdhui on the north-east.
The shelter stone lying .between was not visible. Far
below on the east ran the public path to the Nethy valley
by the Larig Lui, crossing the watershed between Glen
Derry and Glen Avon, and forming the access to Loch
Avon and the shelter stone, whilst Ben a Bhuird's huge
mass and Ben Avon, with its rival pinnacles, rose beyond,
and the unmistakable outline of Lochnagar stood up
against the distant sky. Northward the view stretched
away towards the Moray Firth, which, however, was not
visible that day at least.
The writer's object has been to record some general
impressions and indicate the approaches, and not to
describe the routes to the summits. The latter are very
obvious to one accustomed to the hills, and scarcely need
description. There seems to be a distinct absence every-
where, except at the head of Loch Avon, of cliffs of any
• The regular route for Ben Macdhui seems to be to follow the
course of the Lui past Cairngorm of Derry and Carn a Mhain, and
ascend the long shoulder that there comes down to the waterside.
196 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
size. An interesting note regarding these cliffs appears in
the September number of the JoumaL
The scenery of the Cairngorms is impressive rather
than striking, heavy rather than rugged. They lack the
picturesque grandeur of the western hills, and their
summits are mostly wide-stretching plateaux covered
with granite debris, which cheat one out of the sense of
having reached the summit of a peak. Still they have an
indefinable charm of their own with their great stretches
of stony waste, their rounded hillsides, and their deep worn
valleys, and they must ever attract the lover of wild nature
and must impress all with a feeling of stem majestic
solidity.
!4 «:;
S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
SRON A CHOIRE GHAIRBH.
(Division III. Group I.)
Lat. 57° oY; W. Lon. 4!" 55'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 62. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Map, Sheet 15.
Sron a Choire Ghairbh (3,066 fe^t)=the nose of the rough corrie.
Lies five miles north-east of Achnacarry, on the west side of
Loch Lochy.
Meall an Teanga (3,047 feet approx.)= the tongue-shaped hill. Lies
i| miles south of Sron a Choire Ghairbh. (This hill only appears
on the O.S. Map as a 2,750 feet contour. Dr Heddle by careful
measurements, aneroid and otherwise, made the height as above.)
This group lies two miles to the west of the north end
of Loch Lochy on the Caledonian Canal, some four miles
south-west of Invergarry Station, and five miles north-east
of Achnacarry. There is no rock-climbing, properly speak-
ing, to be had on it ; but the Coire Glas, owing to its
sheltered northern aspect, holds in spring great quantities
of snow. The southern and western slopes of Sron a Choire
-Ghairbh are comprised of steep grass and screes, and access
up or down may be obtained anywhere. Being the highest
ground in the Glengarr>' deer forest, it commands one of
the finest views in the district. The story is told of one of
old Glengarry's stalkers, finding himself with a noble earl
on the summit, and desirous of impressing his visitor with
the extent of his chiefs dominions, exclaimed, " All that
you see'* — and then unable to find the right English word,
he panted out — "and all that you do not see, that's
■Glengarry's ! "
Sron a Choire Ghairbh may be easily reached from
Invergarry Station by following the road to Kilfinnan, and
then striking up the steep slopes of Meall nan Dearcag
jgain the broad ridge, from whence an easy walk leads to
198 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
the top. Another way is from Gairlochy by the road past
Bunarkaig through the " Mile Dorcha," up the Gleann
Cia-aig by the track on the east side of the burn ta
Fedden. From here a zigzag course up the steep grass
slopes will take one to the summit. The track from Fedden
runs north to Greenfield, from whence by boat or ford the
Garry is crossed and the main road gained between Tom-
down and Invergarry.
A. E. R.
GULVAIN.
(Division III. Group II.)
Lat. 56° 56'; W. Lon. 5° 17'. Ordnance Survey Map, one-
inch scale, Sheet 62. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Map, Sheet 15.
Gulvain is the highest point in the long range of hills
that stretches from the sea eastward to the river Lochy,
between Lochs Morar and Arkaig in the north, and Lochs
Eilt and Loch Eil in the south.
It rises into two summits, 3,224 and 3,148 feet re-
spectively. The slopes are not excessively steep in any
direction.
The usual way, if the train suits, is to take it from Fort-
William, and get out at Kinlocheil Station. From there a
mile or so westwards along the road brings one to the
entrance of Glen Fionnlighe. Up this one goes along a fair
track to where the glen forks, and then a stiff pull up the
steep hillside takes one to the summit.
The Rev. A. E. Robertson tells me when staying at
Glen Dessarry he made the ascent on the north side, and
found no difficulty in reaching the summit from Gleann
Camgharaidh.
W. D.
The Streaps. 199
THE STREAPS*
(Division III. Group III.)
Lat 56' 53i'to 56° 55i'; W. Lon. 5^ 23' to 5^ 25'. Ord-
nance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 62. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 1 5.
1. Streap Comhlaidh (2,916 feet) stands at the head of Gleann
Duibblighe, and is the north-east termination of the range. It is a
steep green mountain as a whole, with a couple of peaks, divided from
«ach other by a sharp saddle. It throws out a sharp ridge to the
north with steep cliffs, at the head of Gleann a' Chaoruinn, the stream
of which joins the Pean River, which flows into Loch Arkaig. It is
connected with 2 by an irregular ridge running due west.
2. Streap (2,988 feet) is not only the highest but the finest of the
group. It descends very steeply to the west to the head of Gleann
Finnan, and has a corrie on its south face, high set on the mountain —
Coire H Chuim (the corrie of the cairn, from a great debdcle of stones
which descends from its south end towards Gleann Duibhiighe).
At the head of the debdcle stands a pinnacle, Caisteal a' Chuim.
The south-south-west ridge is narrow and steep on the sides, and has
had a great reputation for danger, which it does not deserve. The
^oll between 2 and 3 is 2,646 feet.
3. Stob Coire nan Cearc (2,911 feet) = peak of the hen's corrie, a
rough corrie on the ridge stretching roughly due south from No. 2,
divided from 4 by Bealach Coire nan Cearc (2,442 feet).
4. Meall an Uillt Chaoil (2,769 feet) = hump of the narrow bum.
Col, Bealach a' Chait= cat's pass (2,366 feet).
5. Beinn nan Tom (2,603 feet) = mountain of the hillock. The last
on the ridge.
This range divides Gleann Finnan on the west from
Gleann Duibhiighe on the east. It is of West Highland
character, but the two Streaps are more than usually striking
in appearance, and form a marked contrast to each other.
The stage house at Glenfinnan is the nearest house
of call.
Usual Route, — Leave Fort- William road a short half-
mile short of the Duibhiighe Bridge by a track leading to the
old Drumasallie Mill in Gleann Duibhiighe; follow by rough
♦ "Streap" means climbing.
200 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
path the east bank of the river, passing a shepherd's house^
for three miles or so to foot of No. i ; then climb straight
up steep green slopes to first summit, a slight dip crossing
a narrow saddle leads to highest point. For No. i turn
sharp west, at first steeply descending to col, then a rough
walk to No. 2, then sharp south along narrow ridge to col,-
with ascent to No. 3. Again descending, rather roughly
cross No. 4 with a final ascent to No. 5, whence the view
of Loch Shiel and Loch Eil, terminated by Ben Nevis, is-
very striking. A long descent leads back to the mill i»
the glen.
C. B. P.
SGOR CHOILEAM.
(Division III. Group IV.)
Lat. 56° 56'; W. Lon. 5° 26'. Ordnance Survey Map^
one-inch scale, Sheet 62. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Map, Sheet 15.
Sgor nan Coireachan (3,135 feet) = the scaur of the steep places.
Beinn Gharbh (2,716 feet) = the rough Ben.
Sgor Choileam (3,164 feet).
This group lies about five miles north of Glenfinnan
Station on the West Highland Railway. It is bounded by
Loch Morar on the west, Glen Pean on the north, by the
Streaps on the east, and by Glen Finnan on the south.
The hills are steep and rugged, but the rock faces must
not be expected to yield any great climbing. Lying,
however, as they do, in the midst of some of the choicest
scenery of that wonderful tract of country which stretches
westwards from Loch Eil to Morar and Mallaig, they are
a perfect paradise to the hill walker, the panorama of
mountain, moor, and loch which greets his eye as he
wanders from ridge to ridge being unsurpassed in the
Highlands ; and they will always be interesting to those
who love to trace the wanderings of Prince Charlie after
Culloden, for it was on these tops that some of his most
exciting adventures took place in eluding the chain or
sentries which hemmed him in in July 1746.
Sgor Choileam, 201
The only place of public resort from whence one can-
get at them is the stage house inn at Glenfinnan
Station. A good track leads up Glen Finnan to the
keeper's house at Corryhully. From here, following up the
bum to where it forks, a north-west course will lead one
easily but steeply up the ridge to the summit of Sgor
Choileam. Turning westwards, a charming ridge walk
takes one over Beinn Gharbh to Sgor nan Coireachan, the
long blue tapering finger of Loch Morar with the distant
peaks of Eigg, Rum, and Skye shimmering in the light of
the westering sun beckoning the climber onwards. From
Sgor nan Coireachan one can descend easily anywhere to
Corryhully, or a descent can be made into Glen Pean,
where accommodation for a night can be had at the
substantial farmhouse of Glen Dessarry, or possibly at
Oban or Kinlochmorar at the east end of Loch Morar.
From Kinlochmorar a good track runs west on the north
side of the loch to Morar Station, while from Glen Dessarry
one can get east by the track on the north side of Loch
Arkaig, or west through that magnificent and wild pass
the Mam Clach Ard to the head of Loch Nevis.
All this ground, with the exception of Glen Dessarry
and Glen Pean, is now under deer.
A. £. R..
202 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
THE SGOR NA CICHE GROUP.
(Division III. Group V.)
Lat. 57' i'; W. Lon. 5** 27'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 62. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheet 15.
Sgor na Ciche (3,410 feet) = the pap-shaped peak ; pron. Sgor na
Keech-eh,
Ben Aden (2,905 feet), 2 miles north of Sgor na Ciche.
•Garbh Chioch Mor (3,365 feet approx.*)=the big rough pap ; pron.
Garrav Kee-ach Mdr, ^ mile south-east of Sgor na Ciche.
Garbh Chioch Bheag (3,100 feet approx*)=the small rough pap;
pron. Garrav Kee-och Vik, i mile east-south-east from Sgor na
Ciche.
Sgor nan Coireachan (3,125 feet) = the peak of the steep places ; pron,
Sgor nan Korrechan, 3 miles east of Sgor na Ciche.
Sgor Mor (3,290 feet) = the big scaur. 2 miles south of the head of
Loch Quoich.
Sgor an Fhuarain (2,961 feet) = Oran's peak; pron. Sgor an oor-an,
2 miles east from Sgor Mor.
Scour Garioch (3,015 feet) = Garry's peak (Garry was one of Fingal's
followers) ; pron. Scour Garrich, \\ miles south of Loch Quoich.
This very fine group of mountains, little known because
so remote, lies in the very heart of western Inverness-shire ;
a district which, from the inaccessibleness of its situation
and the wildness of its scenery, is always known throughout
the Highlands as na garbh chriochan (the rough bounds).
It may be said to be bounded, broadly speaking, by Loch
Nevis on the west. Loch Arkaig on the east, and Loch
Quoich on the north.
Sgor na Ciche is the premier peak in the district, and
its beautiful cone dominates everything. Owing to its
extreme remoteness, no climbing has been recorded on it,
but without doubt such could be got were the mountain
within easier reach of some near and suitable basis of opera-
tions. The Coire nan Gall is a wild and rocky corrie, and
the steep cliffs of Ben Aden look most attractive. The
ridge which runs from Sgor nan Coireachan west, over the
* Professor Heddle's aneroid measurement
The Sgor na Ciche Group. 203
two tops, Garbh Chioch Bheag and Garbh Chioch Mor, to
Sgor na Ciche, is rough and narrow in places, but there
need be no serious difficulty on it to the climber. The
eastern peaks of the group — Sgor Mor, Sgor an Fhuarain,
and Scour Garioch — are much smoother in outline, their
g^een, grassy corries affording magnificent shelter and
pasturage for the great herds of deer which abound in
these parts.
The difficulty of obtaining a convenient place from
which to climb the hills in this group will always be
serious. There are three main lines of approach : (i) From
Tomdown Inn in Glen Garry; (2) from Glen Dessarry ; (3)
from Inverie or Mallaig in the west.
1. From Tomdoivn. — This, although a very far cry from
the western peaks of the group — fourteen miles by road, and
then four to five miles by path — is perhaps the most con-
venient and reliable place to start from. A good road runs
west from Tomdown, past Loch Quoich up to the Gairowan
River, where some of the numerous shooting paths con-
structed by Lord Burton, may be taken, and which will
lead one easily on to the hills. There is a good track also
running from Glen Dessarry down Glen Kingie to Glen
Garry.*
2. From Glen Dessarry. — Accommodation for a night
or so can probably be obtained at the farmhouse of Glen
Dessarry, and once there, the tops of the range may be
gained practically anywhere.
3. From Inverie or Mallaig, — A small steam launch
now runs from Mallaig to Inverie three, days a week with
the mails, and by arrangement it can be taken to the head
of Loch Nevis, from whence Sgor na Ciche and Ben Aden
can be easily reached. From Inverie, where there is a
small but very comfortable temperance inn, a good path
goes up Glen Meadail to Camach, a keeper's hoqse, which
is situated at the base of the afore-mentioned hills.
♦ There is a plank bridge over the river Garry just where it runs
out from Loch Quoich, and another bigger bridge 2^ miles further east,
near the Kingie pool.
XLVI. B / ;.
- • • • '
204 '^^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
The best way to explore this region is probably to
traverse it in several directions, carrying a rucksack with a
few necessaries, obtaining a night's shelter at some of the
outlying shepherds* or keepers' houses in Glen Dessarry or
Glen Kingie or by the shores of Loch Quoich or Loch
Nevis. In fact this is the only way one can really see it,
the distances here from hotels being too great to start from
and return to them in one day. And a few days spent in
this fashion will be a unique and charming experience ; for
this is one of the few districts not yet corrupted by the
moneyed Sassenach, and the people in the glen not being
spoilt by the vulgar products of modem civilisation are
kind, courteous, and hospitable.
Whatever be the route taken, the Mam Clach Ard Pass
between Glen Dessarry and Loch Nevis must on no account
be missed. It is one of the wildest and loneliest passes in
the Highlands, unique in many ways. And if it chance
that the wanderer finds himself some summer evening at
the summit of the pass beside the two lochans of deep
clear green water that are there, "long, green Glen Dessarry"
below him on the one side, Knoydart's rough bounds before
him on the other, he will be wise if he linger on the spot,
for it will be hard to find a more enchanting place. To sit
here, as the writer has done, watching the sun sinking into
the Atlantic, the sunset in the west flushing the tops of the
peaks that are around one on every side, with a quiet soft
light, their lower slopes shrouded in all the hues of richest
purple, while the stray clouds sailing inwards cast their
shadows on the calm waters of Loch Nevis below, is an
experience one can never forget. And the stillness of it all!
" No voice of man, no cry of child.
Blent with the loneness of the wild ;
Only the wind through the bent and ferns,
Only the moan of the corrie-burns."
A. E. R.
« •
Meall Buidhe and Luinne Bkeinn, 205
MEALL BUIDHE AND LUINNE BHEINN.
(Division III. Group VI.)
Lat 57' if to 57** 3'; W. Lon. 5** 31' to 5' 37'. Ordnance
Survey Map, one inch scale, Sheet 61. Bartholomew's Re-
<luced Ordnance Map, Sheet 15.
These two mountains occupy a large portion of the
space between Loch Nevis and the Bay of Barrisdale in
Loch Hourn. They are wild and rugged in character.
The great corrie, Corieachan Leacach (flagstone corries),
dividing the two on the north side, has a marvellous dis-
play of glaciated rock, and is one of the most striking things
of its kind in Scotland. They command splendid views
of the Hebrides and the grand mountains around Lochs
Hourn and Nevis.
1. Druim Righinn ( ), the western buttress of No. 3.
2. An t' Uiriollach (about 2,600 feet), a summit on ridge between
No. I and No. 3.
3. Meall Buidhe (3,107 feet) = yellow heap.
4. Druim Leathad an t-Sithe (about 2,600 feet).
5. Meall Coire na Gaoithe'n Ear » heap of the corrie of the east
wind. These two last are rough tops connecting No. 3 and No. 6.
6. Luinne Bheinn (3,083 feet).
There is a small temperance inn at Inverie in Loch
Nevis, the last reports of which were satisfactory. It is the
most convenient place to stay at, but by a little trouble the
hills can be reached from the comfortable hotel at Glenelg,
^nd there is, or used to be, a small house of call at Corran
on Loch Hourn.
Ustml Route. — From Inverie. Follow the road leading
behind Inverie House to the ford over the stream issuing
from the Dubh Lochan, taking care not to take the path
up Gleann Dubh Lochain ; beyond the ford follow the road
for about a mile to another ford over the river Meadail.
When a little beyond this point ascend steeply north to
top of No. I, then follow ridge crossing No. 2, and a slight
dip to No. 3. The descent to the col Bealach Eala Choire
from this point is rather steep at first, and the ridge narrows
2o6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
in a little, but it is easy. From col an up-and-down course
over rough ground, with grand views of the glen of the
Carnach River, with Ben Aden (2,905 feet) and Sgor na Ciche
(3,410 feet) behind it, leads over Nos. 4 and 5 to Bealach a'
Choire Odhar. A steep climb of nearly 1,000 feet lands
the pedestrian on top of No. 6. To descend, follow north-
west ridge to a point Bachd Mhic an Tosaich (2,126 feet),
and then west to Mam Barrisdale (1476 feet). A choice of
routes here — either returning by path to Inverie, or de-
scending to Barrisdale on Loch Hourn, where a boat
should be in readiness to take the party to either Corran
or Glenelg. The descent to Loch Hourn is very grand.
Climbs. — None recorded. The hills are everywhere rocky
and steep, but it is doubtful if there is any good rock
climbing.
C. B. P.
LADHAR BEINN (LARVEN).
(Division III. Group VII.)
Lat. 57" 4^'; W. Lon. 5" 35'. Ordnance Survey Map^
one-inch scale. Sheet 61 and 71. Bartholomew's Reduced
Ordnance Map, Sheet 15.
This splendid mountain is the highest peak of the
district of Knoydart, and stands on the south shore of
Loch Hourn to the west of Barrisdale Bay. Its leading
features are the sharply ridged north-east buttresses and
the grand corries they enclose. Its south slopes are more
simple, but its east buttress throws out a long ridge of hill
to the south-west, terminating in a fine peak over Inverie
on Loch Nevis.
Larven commands splendid views in every direction,
those over the sea to the Hebrides, Skye, &c., and up the
vista of Loch Hourn being especially striking.
I. Stob a' Choire Odhair (Stob a' Corrour, 3,138 feet, Admiralty
chart) = peak of the dun corrie. This is a sharp ridge thrown out by
the mountain to the north-east, from almost immediately below its
highest point. It forms the north-west enclosing wall of the profound
Ladhar Beinn (Larven). 207
Coire Dhorrcail, the head of which is formed by a precipice of great
height descending from
2. The summit, 3,343 feet. From this point a ridge called the
DioUaid (the saddle), stretches to the north-west and to south -east*
the ar^te forming south-west enclosing wall of Coire Dhorrcail
<Corrie Gorkill). This terminates at a col, about 2,350 feet, Bealach
Coire Dhorrcail. On the east side of this rises
3. Stob Dhorcail (Stob GorkillX a sharp buttress projecting
north-east, parallel to No. i, and dividing Coire Dhorrcail from the
smaller Coire na Cabaig (Coire na Cabag), the east side of which is
defended by
4. Stob a* Chearcaill (Stob a* Herkill, 2,760 feet) = peak of the
circles. This is a very peculiar-looking ridge, steep and narrow, the
strata being pitched at a very high angle, forming very sheer looking
cliffs over Coire na Cabaig. From this point, a long ridge deflects
to the south-west, passing through
5. Aonach Sgoilte (Unach Sgolta= split mountain, 2,784 feet), which
is divided by the col Mam Suidheig (Mam Sooiag, 1,615 ^^0 ^^^om the
peaks.
6. Stob an Uillt Fhearna (Stob an Ult £amo)=peak of the alder
bum, and
7. Sgurr Coire na Coinnich (Scour Corry na Conich, 2,612 feet), a
fine wild peak, immediately behind Inverie, on Loch Nevis. This
long ridge and the main mass of Larven enclose the head of Gleann
•Ghuserein, Coire Torr an Asgaill.
Centres, — The temperance inn at Inverie— the last
accounts good — is convenient for the south side. There is
(or was) a very small inn at Corran on Loch Houm.
•Glenelg is the best hotel within hail, though it must be
confessed it is a long way from the mountain. M'Brayne's
steamers call at Inverie and Glenelg, at the latter place
twice weekly all the year round. It can also be reached
by the Dingwall and Skye line to Strome, and from thence
via Balmacarra and boat.
Usual Route, — From Glenelg, This is the most interest-
ing, excepting that the grand view up Loch Hourn unfolds
itself gradually, and not at once, as by the Inverie route.
Take a boat to a point on Loch Hourn, at the mouth of
Coire Dhorrcail. Ascend the east side of the stream, till
the floor of the corrie is reached. Here a scene of
great grandeur presents itself The main mass of Larven
is on the right, throwing out a rough ridge to the south-
east, forming the head of the corrie, from the summit of
208 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
which descend some of the finest and highest cliffs in
Scotland. This is divided by the gap of Bealach Coire
Dborrcatl from Stob Dhorrcail and Stob a' Chearcaill. The
usual way is to aim for this gap, and turning north-west
along the rough ridge of Larven, gain the summit with
ease. To vary the descent, order the boat to meet the
party at Li, nearly opposite Corran, and strike north-east
by the sharp ridge to No. i. From this point skirt the head
of the north branch of Gleann Ghuserein, Coir' an Eich,
hitting off the gap Bealach a' Choir" Odhar at the head
of the corrie, to the south of Mullach Li, and descend gradu-
ally north to Li by green slopes.
From Inverie. — This route is less interesting than the
other till the summit is reached. Follow the road into
Gleann Ghuserein for about a mile and then strike off by
a track to Folach at the foot of the mountain, about three
miles from Inverie. From this place the ascent is quite
simple, being up the long southern slopes of the hill, direct
to the top. The view of Loch Houm and Coire Dhorrcailr
with its precipices and ridges, bursts on the eye with grand
effect. A good return route might be made along the
ridges to Inverie, over 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Climbs. — The cliffs and ridges of Coire Dhorrcail must
Drd some grand climbs. The rock is gneiss.
Messrs Collie, Travers, and Kellas had a nice rock
amble on the cliffs on the south-east side Aonach
oilte, about three-quarters of a mile south-west of the
nmit.
The same party had some good scrambling on the
ith-west face of Roinne na Beinne Moire, the mass of
I west of Gleann Ghuserein.
C. B. P.
Ben SgroiL 209
BEN SGROIL.
(Division III. Group VIII.)
Lat. 57' 9' ; W. Lon. 5° 35'. Ordnance Survey Map, one-
inch scale, Sheet 71. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Map, Sheet 15.
Ben Sgroil (3,196 feet) = Ben Frightful, lies on the north
side of Loch Hourn, and is usually ascended from Glenelg.
It forms a conspicuous object in the view when sailing
through the narrows at Skye, with its bald and stony peak
rising boldly from the grassy corrie at its base. On the
south it presents to Loch Hourn a sterile and precipitous
scree and crag slope descending from a long straight back
nearly to the water's edge. On the north are two immense
corries. almost entirely destitute of vegetation, with a big
shoulder from the mountain dividing them {S.M.CJ., Vol.
I., p. 203).
Usual Routes, — From Glenelg. (i.) Follow the Amis-
dale road for five miles (as far as the loch), and when
opposite the grassy corrie make straight for the top. (2.)
Follow the Arnisdale road for one mile. Turn up Glenbeg
and pass the Pictish Towers to Balvraid farm. One mile
beyond this turn up the glen on the right, and this leads to
the foot of the shoulder dividing the two northern corries.
This offers a steep but easy route to the top.
Climbs. — None recorded.
Views, — The view from the sunrimit is magnificent, the
principal features of which are the jagged range of the
Coolins a few miles off and the wild district of Knoydart
with Ladhar Bheinn planted in the centre.
W. D.
210 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB.
General Meeting.
The Sixteenth Annual General Meeting of the
Club was held in Caledonian Railway Station Hotel, Edin-
burgh, on the evening of Friday, 2nd December 1904, with
the President, Mr William C. Smith, in the chair.
The Minutes of the Fifteenth Annual General Meeting
were read and approved.
The Hon. Treasurer, Mr Napier, submitted his state-
ment for the past year, showing a balance in favour of the
Club of £\go, 13s. Qd. The income of the Club had been
;^I34. 6s. 5d. and the expenditure ;^I29. os. lojd. (of which
^55- 19s- 2d. went to th^ Joutnal ; ;^i8. 14s. 6d. to the Club-
room ; ;i^2i. IIS. 8Jd. to Additions to the Library, Lantern
Slides, and furnishings ; j^i2. 19s. 6d. Club Reception ; £^.
1 3s. to copying the Sligachan Climbers' book ; the balance,
£16. 3s., being for sundry expenses). The accounts were
approved.
The Hon. Secretary, Dr Inglis Clark, reported that nine
new members had been elected to the Club, viz., Geo. H.
H. Almond, John Buchan, John Grove, jun., P. A. Hillhouse,
R. P. Hope, J. L. Moore, A. B. Noble, W. Rickmer Rickmers,
and J. J. Waugh ; that the membership of the Club was
now 160. At the beginning of the year the membership
of the Club had been 156, of whom two had died and
three had resigned.
The Hon. Librarian, Mr F. S. Goggs, reported on the
Club-room, giving details of gifts to and purchases for the
Library, and mentioned that the number of volumes in the
Library had risen from 300 to 430.
The Hon. Custodian of Slides, Rev. A. E. Robertson,
reported that some 990 slides were now in the collection,
90 being added to it during the year. He also stated that
Proceedings of the Club. 21 1
many members had borrowed them for lecture purposes
during the past year.
A grant of ;^is was made to the Club-room Committee
for the purchase of maps and books for the Library.
A grant of £^ was made to the Rev. A. E. Robertson
for the upkeep of the slide collection.
The Office-bearers, with the exception of those retiring,
were re-elected.
Mr John Rennie was elected as President in room of
Mr W. C. Smith, whose term of office had expired.
Mr JAS. W. Drummond was elected as Vice-President
in room of Mr Gilbert Thomson, whose term of office had
expired.
Messrs A. W. RusSELL, W. N. LiNG, and H. T. MUNRO
were elected to the Committee in place of Messrs Drum-
mond and Squance, who retired by rotation, and Mr Rennie
who was elected President.
It was decided to hold the New Year Meet at Loch
Awe, and the Easter one at Sligachan and Kingshouse.
The Committee's recommendation that future subscrip-
tions may be commuted as under was approved : —
Original Members by a single payment of - ;C5 5 o
Members of ten years' standing - - -11^
Members of five years' standing - - -990
New Members by payment of Entrance Fee at
;£ I. IS., and single payment of - - 11 11 o
Reception.
Previous to the Meeting the Club held a reception in the
Royal Arch Hall, 75 Queen Street, which was well attended
by a large number of ladies and gentlemen. Rev. A. E.
Robertson gave a delightful demonstration of the Club
•Collection of Slides.
Sixteenth Annual Dinner.
At the close of the General Meeting the Annual Dinner
was held in the same hotel, with the President, Mr W. C.
Smith, in the chair. The members present were fifty-six
and the guests twenty-three.
212 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
The toasts proposed at this dinner were —
The King - - - - Mr W. C. Smith,
Imperial Forces - - - Mr W. C. Smith.
^'^'-^ { Mr H° Walker.
The Scottish Mountaineering Club - Mr W. C. Smith.
The Alpine Club - - - Mr Gilbert Thomson.
Reply — Mr R. A. Robertson.
The Bens and Glens - - - Mr H. T. Munro.
Reply — Mr T. Fraser S. Campbell.
The Guests - - - Sir T. D. Gibson CarmichaeL
Reply— R^v, P. Hay Hunter.
Retiring President - - Mr Alex. MoncriefL
Library and Club-room.
215
W. Douglas.
LIBRARY AND CLUB-ROOM.
It will be noticed from the list given below that Sir
Archibald Geikie has been good enough to present the
Club with three volumes of his works, "The Scenery of
Scotland," 3rd Ed., i vol., and "The Ancient Volcanoes
of Great Britain," 2 vols. Members will derive both
pleasure and instruction from their perusal.
The Club is proud of numbering in its ranks an
Honorary Member of Sir Archibald's attainments and
distinction, and returns him hearty thanks for such a
tangible proof of his sympathy. The Club's thanks are
equally tendered to the other contributors.
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
The Independent Review. (Sept. 1904.) Contain-
ing an article, "The Closing of the Highland
Mountains." E. A. Baker . . . .
Rambles Round Crieff. S. Komer, Ph.D. (1858)
Scottish Tourist. 20th Edition, (i860) -
A Guide to the Lakes in Cumberland, Westmore-
land, and Lancashire. loth Edition. (18 12) -
Illustrated Hand Book to the Giant's Causeway and
the North of Ireland. Mr and Mrs S. C. Hall.
(1853)
Black's Picturesque Guide to the English Lakes.
(1842)
Paterson's Guide to Switzerland. (1885)-
Travels on the Continent. Mariana Starke. (1820)
Travels through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and
Sicily. Translated from the German of Count
Stolberg, by Thomas Holcroft. 2 vols. (1796)
Nether Lochaber. Rev. Alex. Stewart. (1883)
Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe. Rev. Alex. Stewart.
(1885)
North Wales. Rev. W. Bingley, A.M. (1814)
Summary of Progress of the Geological Survey of
the United Kingdom for 1903 - - - -
Guide for Travellers in the Plain and on the Moun-
tains. Charles Boner
A Visit to the Summer House in the Saetersdal and
Southern Norway, by Alice Ogilvie. (1891)
>»
»
»>
»>
>r
\y
IT
Purchased,
>r
»>
»>
Adam Smail.
214 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Sketches of Nature in the Alps. From the German
of F. von Tschudi. (1856) - . - - Adam Smail.
The Scottish Mountains. W. J. Millar. (1896) - „
A Week at Bridge of Allan. Rev. Charles Rogers.
loth Edition „
The Course of Creation. Rev. John Anderson.
(1850). [Geology of Scotland, England, France,
and Switzerland] „
Practical Guide to the English Lake District. (1885)
H. J. Jenkinson „
Black's Picturesque Guide to the English Lakes.
(1857)
Handbook for Travellers in Westmoreland and
Cumberland. J. Murray. (1866) - - - „
Tourist's Guide to the East and North Ridings of
Yorkshire. G. P. Bevan. (1884) ... „
Anderson's Tourist's Guide through Scotland. 2nd
Edition. (1838) Purchased.
An Account of the Principal Pleasure Tours in
Scotland. 9th Edition. (1834) - - - „
The Scenery of Scotland. Sir Archibald Geikie.
3rd Edition. (1901) The Author.
The Ancient Volcanoes of Great Britain. 2 Vols.
Sir Archibald Geikie. (1897) - - - - „
Year-Book of the French Alpine Club. (1902 and
1903) Exchanged.
A Walk round Mont Blanc, &c. Rev. Francis
Trench. (1847) J. G. Inglis.
Wanderings among the High Alps. Alfred Wills.
(1856)
Chamonix and the Range of Mont Blanc. A Guide
by Ed. Whymper. (1896) - - - W. W. Naismith.
Do. do. 9th Edition. (1904) - W. Douglas.
The Valley of Zermatt and the Matterhom. A
Guide by Ed. Whymper. 8th Edition. (1904) „
Transactions and Proceedings of the Perthshire
Society of Natural Science. Vol. III., Part V.
( 1 902- 1 903.) Contai ni ng inter alia " The Horizon
from Corsiehill," with Plan. John Ritchie, LL.B. The Society
Vim. Magazine. Nos. 9 and 10, Vol. L, August
and September 1903. Containing article " Moun-
taineering in Britain." W. Inglis Clark - - W. Inglis Clark.
The Geomorphogeny of the Upper Kern Basin.
Andrew C. Lawson. 8vo, pp. 291-376. Geo-
logical Department, University of California - Sierra Club.
Library and Club-room, 215:
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Clachaig Visitors' Book J. Gourlay.
The Mountain Club Annual. (1896,1898-1903) - Mountain Club :
Cape Town Sec-
tion. Per Wni. .
C. Smith, K.C.
The New Era : A Weekly Review. Cape Town.
2 1st September 1904. Containing article " Moun-
taineering in Cape Colony," by S. Y. Ford,
Editor of " The Mountain Club Annual " - - „
Memoirs of the Geological Survey of the United
Kingdom. Tertiary Igneous Rocks of Skye. Board of
Alfred Marker Education.
The First Topographical Survey of Scotland. C. G.
Cash. Reprinted from the Scottish Geographical
Magazine for August 1901 - - - - The Author.
Panorama de TEggischhom. (Coloured Lithograph) J. G. Inglis.
The Traveller's Guide through Scotland and its
Islands. 4th Edition. (1808) - - - - Purchased.
Do. do. 5th Edition. (181 1) - . - ^^
The Picture of Scotland. Robt. Chambers. 4th
Edition. (1837) „
Sketches of Tranent in the Olden Times. J. Sands.
(1881) Adam Smail.
Anent Old Edinburgh. A. H. Dunlop. 2nd Edition.
(1890)
The Annals of Fordoun. W. Cramond. (1894) - „
North Berwick and its Vicinity. Geo. Ferrier. loth
Edition. (1881) „
Burgh Register and Guide to Dunbar. John
McDonald. (1896) „
Dunblane Traditions. John Monteath. (1835.)
Reprint, 1887 „.
Black's Guide to Derbyshire. (1874) - - - „
„ „ Devonshire. (1877) - - - ^^
„ „ Wales. (1874) - - - - „
„ „ Isle of Wight. (1881) - - - „
Murray's Handbook to South Wales. (1870) - - „
Ward & Lock's Guide to North Wales. (1886) - „
The Traveller's Guide in Sweden and Norway. A.
Bonnier. (1871) „
The iPentland Hills. W. A. Smith. 9th Edition.
(1904) The Author.
F. S. G.
EXCURSIONS.
The Editor will be glad to receive brief notices of any noteworthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles, but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no dijfficulty in imparting information
in the other form,
S.M.C. ABROAD IN 1904.
Dr Colin Campbell was out in the Tyrol this year, and made
the following ascents : — The Ankogel by the Plexen (not often done)
to the Osnabriick Hut, back by Klein Elend Scharte. The Schareck,
Herzog Ernst, Riffelerscharte — all from Bad Gastein ; Gross Glockner
(second time) by HofTmann's Way and back by Bockkar Scharte and
Hochgang to Ferleiten in one day ; Wilder Freiger, Becher, Wilder
Pfaff, Zuckerhiitl, from Neustift : in Switzerland Zervreiler Horn, from
Vals Platz ; and several glacier expeditions.
Dr and Mrs Inglis Clark, with their son and daughter, had
a successful walking and climbing holiday in the districts of the
Tarentaise, Cogne, and Dauphiny. Throughout they were favoured
with superb weather, which somewhat mitigated the rough accommo-
dation afforded by the chalets (untenanted or otherwise), from which
three of the ascents were made. The following expeditions, many
of which were guideless, were made : — In the Tarentaise : The Grande
Casse, Rochers de Plassas, Col du Palet. Near Cogne : The Grivola,
Grand Nomenon, Col Herbetet, Mont Emilius, Pointe de Pousset.
In Dauphiny : — Aiguille de Goleon and Col Clot des Cavales. Mrs
and Miss Inglis Clark ascended the S. Aiguille d'Arves, while Mrs
Inglis Clark alone made the ascent of the Meije from the Promontoire
Hut.
Mr Douglas, with three Yorkshire friends, Messrs J. J. and W. A.
Brigg and Eric Greenwood, had a fortnight's mountaineering in the
Eastern Alps. Rucksacks went with them everywhere, but most of the
expedition was made without guides. Starting from Pontresina, they
had a shot, from the Boval Hut, at the Piz Bemina, but had to turn back
after eight hours of it, when still some thousand feet below the summit.
The third day (the 26th of July) was spent in driving to Maloja. The
fourth in crossing into Italy by the Muretto Pass to Chiesa in the Val
Malenco. The fifth in climbing to the Capanna Cecilia at the head
-of the Val Preda Rossa of the Val Masino. The sixth in ascending
Monte della Disgrazia and in returning to Chiesa. The seventh from
Excursions, 217
Chiesa in driving down the Malenco to Sondrio, and in travelling
up the Val Tellina, from there by train to Tirano, and from there in
driving to Bormio. The eighth was spent in driving into Austria,
over the Stelvio Pass to Trafoi, and in ascending the Drei Sprachen-
spitze on the way. The ninth in ascending to the Payer Hut. The
tenth in climbing the Ortler, and in going down to Sulden in the
Suldenthal. The eleventh in getting to the Hallescher Hut. The
twelfth in crossing Monte Cevedale into Italy, and in spending the
night at Fomo. The thirteenth in crossing the Gavia Pass to Ponte
-di Legno. The fourteenth in ascending the Val d'Avio to the Rifugio
Garibaldi. The fifteenth in crossing Monte Adamello to the Mandron
Hut, and down the lovely though long Genova Valley to Pinzolo.
The sixteenth in driving to Trient, where the railway was joined.
The weather was nearly all that could be desired all the time, perfect
mornings with sometimes a thunderstorm in the afternoon.
Mr Drummond while in Sicily, towards the end of November,
had a lovely view from the summit of Etna.
Mr Gillon had an easy rock climb on the Romsdalhom. He
-encountered one or two awkward pitches low down where the rock lies
in " boiler plates " at the wrong angle. Near the top he found it steep,
but the rock splendid.
Messrs F. S. Goggs and C. W. Nettleton spent a delightful
three weeks in the Oberland and the Pennines in July and August.
Starting from Murren, the Petersgrat was crossed to Ried, the
Tschingelhom being taken on the way. Then over the Lotschenliicke to
the Concordia Hut, whence on successive days the Finsteraarhorn was
<:Iimbed, and the Aletschhorn traversed to Bel Alp. A new and safe
rock route was made up the north-east face of the latter from the Grosser
Aletsch Firn, entirely avoiding the usual dangers of the ordinary route
on this side, unstable seracs and snow avalanches. From Bel Alp
^ where the party were disappointed not to find the Editor and other
S.M.C. men) a move was made to Saas F^e. Here a charming week
was spent, picnics being a great feature on the " off days." Traverses
were made of the Portjengrat, the Weissmies, the Laquinhom, and the
Fletschhom, all from south to north, the Mittaghom and Egginerhorn.
Then the Alphubeljoch was crossed to Zermatt, where the Weisshom
was successfliUy attacked. Then the weather broke a little, and for
the second time Mr Nettleton was turned back on the north to south
traverse of the Matterhom. As a consolation he, however, took the
Matterhom couloir of the Riffelhom on the way back. Mr Goggs in
the meantime took the Mettelhom and another peak (nameless) to
the south. Mrs Nettleton joined in the Alphubeljoch and Weisshom
■expeditions.
Mr Goodeve spent eleven days in July at Zermatt, and made the
following ascents : — With one guide, the Matterhom couloir on the
Riffelhom, and the Theodulhom and Furggengrat arete, descending
2i8 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
by the Furgg-joch. With two guides, the Zinal-Rothhom, Obergabel-
horn, Matterhom, and Weisshom. The weather was splendid till the
last three days. The first attempt of the Weisshom was unsuccessful
owing to a storm, but at the second the ascent was made under good
conditions.
Messrs Wm. Ling, H. Raeburn, and C. W. Walker had planned
a number of big traverses from the Meije to Mont Blanc. Owing to
the unfortunate illness of Ling, who was unable to go, most of these
had to be given up, but the other two, favoured for the most part by
magnificent weather, got some good climbing in Dauphin^ the
Tarentaise, and south side of Mont Blanc.
In Dauphin^ they ascended the S. Aiguille d'Arves from a ruined
hut on the south side, crossed the Br^che de la Meije, and next
day made an attempt on the Meije from the comfortable little wooden
hut on the Promontoire. Turned by bad weather at the foot of the
Grand Muraille, Messrs H. R. and C. W. had an interesting experi-
ence of an electric storm, the ice axes singing " le chanson du Piolet,"
while every rocky spike on the steep narrow arete they were descend-
ing buzzed and crackled, and even Walker's rucksack had something
to say for itself. Returning to La Grave, another assault was delivered^
this time successful, by way of the Col de Clot des Cavales at the
Promontoire ; going time to summit from hut 4 hours 55 minutes.
Removing to Pralognan in the Tarentaise, the Aiguille de la Gli^re
was ascended from the Vaifsise Col Refuge Felix Faure. A traverse
was effected next day of the Grande Casse. The ascent was made
"par le Versant Nord," believed to be the first amateur ascent by
this route. It is a difficult climb up steep ice and very rotten rocks.
Passing over to Courmayeur in Italy by the Little St Bernard, the
Aiguille Noire de Pdt^ret was next ascended. The first night was
spent in the open on a grass ledge called the ** Fauteuil des Allemands,"
at a height of 8,100 feet. Starting next morning at 4.15, the summit,
12,450 feet, was gained at 12.50, and the " FauteuiP regained at 8 p.m.
An attempt was then made to descend by lantern light the 2,000 feet
of cliff below the " Fauteuil," but it was given up, and the second
night's camp was pitched on a broad ledge at the top, close to water.
Courmayeur was regained next morning after an absence of forty-
eight hours.
The following two days were occupied in the passage with a
porter of the Col and Glacier du G^ant to Chamonix. Owing to the
long- continued fine weather the icefall of the Geant was much more
intricate than in 1901. All expeditions were guideless.
Mr a. E. Maylard was in the Oberland this year, and joined
later Mr Solly's party, and did some climbs with them.
Mr Walter Nelson and Mr John Grove spent ten days, in
early September, at Zermatt. The w^eather was somewhat broken,
and they accordingly contented themselves with the ascent of the
Excursions. 219
Unter-Gabelhom and of Monte Rosa — the latter climb in company
with a mutual friend, Mr Barrie.
Mr J. A. Parker and Mr Gilbert Thomson had a very success-
ful fortnight in the Eastern Graians during the latter part of August,
in spite of very unsettled weather. Starting from Aosta, they spent a
night at the Comboe chalets, and next day ascended Mont Emilius,
and made their way to Cogne by the Col d'Arbole and the Col de
Laures — this being guideless. From Cogne they made the following
expeditions with a local guide, Clement Gerrard : — Mont Herbetet by
the north arete, the Grand Paradis by the east face from the Glacier
de Tribulation, the passage of the Col de Monei to the Piantonetto
Club Hut, returning by the same col, and climbing the Tour de Grand
St Pierre by the north ar6te from the Glacier de Monei. The view
point of Cogne, the Pointe du Pousset, was ascended without guides,
in company with Mr C. Clark. Parker had three days after Thomson
left, and utilised the time by visiting Courmayeur, and climbing first
the Cramont, and then Mont Blanc by the Dome route.
Mr Solly was in ihe Oberland this year, and his climbs included
the Dossenhom and the traverse of the Wetterhom without guides ;
the Eiger, Schreekhom, and the traverse of the Little Schreekhom, with
the Rev. E. Freeman and one guide.
Mr J. H. WiGNER writes : — " I did only one expedition this
season, but it lasted all the time. I went to Iceland with my friend,
Mr T. S. Muir, and journeyed to the north-east corner of the Vatna
Jokull, taking sledges, ski, and over a month's provisions for the two of
us. From here we crossed the Jokull, in a direction mainly about
west-soulh-west, reaching the other side very near to its south-west
extremity. Our journey with the sledges was about eighty miles, and
practically the whole area through which we crossed was totally
unexplored. We ascended four peaklets in different parts of the
Jokull not far from the edges, the highest of them, Hdgongur, being
some 6,500 feet high according to the latest survey. The two of us
were altogether rather over a month on our own resources, and for
about two-thirds of the time had very fine weather. This was the
first crossing of the Jokull in the direction of its length, the only
previous passage being that of Mr Watts and a party of Icelanders
in 1875, who crossed it from south to north by a route about thirty
miles long near its western extremity."
Ben Nevis.— F. Greig, A. E. M*Kenzie, and another arrived in
Fort- William on Saturday, 17th September 1904, and had two glorious
days on Ben Nevis.
Leaving next morning at 6.55 A.M., we reached the foot of the
North-East Buttress at 9.55, and after wasting three-quarters of an
hour in trying a gully near the Observatory Ridge, we descended, and
started up Slingsby's Chimney at 10.45. Our progress was rapid
until we came to the difficult pitch above a jammed block, where the
XLVI. c
220 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JournaL
gully opens out into a funnel. This was climbed by the direct route,
and was found to be " hardly for Salvationists " ; Greig, who led up it,
being called upon to give the others a little more than the moral support
of the rope.
We gained the first platform at 1.20 P.M., and after lunch climbed
the North-East Buttress, reaching the top at 4.45. We descended by
the path, after climbing on to the Tower.
The following morning we left Fort- William at 7.25 A.M., and after
the usual grind up the path, we indulged in the luxury of a bathe in
the Lochan. Our intentions that day were to climb the North Castle
Gully, the foot of which was reached at 11. 15. The lower portion of
the gully presented little difficulty, and we only roped for two pitches,
the first being a waterslide about 20 feet high, and the other a chimney
about the same height ; but about 400 feet up we were confronted
with a double choke block pitch about 40 feet in height, the lower
block forming a recess. As it was found impossible to surmount this,
we descended a few feet, traversed on to the right wall (true left), and
reached the gully above this pitch, which looked as hopeless from
above as from below.
We then continued up the gully, passing two other small choke
block pitches, and when we were about 100 feet from the top, we were
again forced to the right (true left) by a small mossy chimney ; and
we finished by a climb up some sloping slabs into a chimney, and
thence to the top, which was reached at 1.35 p.m. The latter chimney,
which might almost be called a branch of the Castle Gully, runs
parallel to the bed of the gully, and finishes a few feet to the north
of it. A. E. MCKENZIE.
Ben Nevis in August. — The beginning of August Messrs
Bums, Morrison, Newbigging, and A. E. Robertson had a few days'
good climbing in the Fort- William district. On 3rd August, taking
the morning steamer to Ardgour, we cycled to Inversanda \N,B, —
Excellent cycles can be hired in Fort- William for 3s. 6d. a day],
intending to do the ridge on Garbh Bheinn. On getting into the corrie
the mist and rain were so heavy that we completely failed to find the
ridge. We got some very fair climbing searching for it however, but
where we were goodness only knows. Eventually we gained the
summit, and returned to Fort-William in torrents of rain. The next
day was better, and a start was made for the Tower Ridge. " Douglas's
Boulder " was climbed by a new route — right up the north-east side of
the western gully, which runs to the col between the Boulder and the
Tower Ridge, the gully being on our immediate right hand the whole
way up. The rocks were not particularly difficult, save for the first
70 feet, and the route can be confidently recommended. Descending
the Boulder by the short, steep, and difficult drop to the col, the Tower
Ridge was followed to the summit, the Tower being scaled by the
Recess Route. The dangerous loose rock there, referred to by Mr
Bell, S^M.C.J.y Vol. VII., p. 184, was looked for but was not found.
Excursions. 221
Next day we did the Pinnacle ar^te of the Trident Buttress. The
lower portion which has not yet " gone " was prospected, but it looked
so uncompromising that we left nearer acquaintance with it to a more
convenient season ; it will be a very hard nut to crack. The steep
part of the ar^te is most sensational, but the magnificent holds render
it perfectly safe. " A regular hat rack," as Morrison joyfully sang out
as he led up. Next day, Bums having left for the south, the remaining
three set out for the formidable " Staircase " climb on the Cam Dearg
Buttress. Morrison led up the bad pitch from the recess above the
" Staircase" in magnificent style. This will always be a nasty place,
and the leader must be an expert and sure of his power to go through
with the business once he leaves the shoulders of the second man in
the recess : 50 feet of rope is necessary between the leader and the
second man, if the latter is to remain in the recess until the leader
reaches the safe anchorage on the ledge. Reaching the ledge we
traversed to the left, as Raeburn and I did last year (5.i^.C/., Vol.
VIII., p. 86), and up the very stiff chimney to the "Bowling Green."
Bell's Chimney, above the Pinnacle, was found in a very rotten and
dangerous state. Being last man I did as much clearing as I could,
but it will take a lot of sweeping yet to make it safe.
Sleeping that night in the Summit Hotel, we made an early start the
following moming, and descended the Observatory Ridge. This was
found difficult and tedious, the right route being in many places very
hard to hit off. The fact is that the rocks are so steep and difficult
(especially lower down), that the right way looks just as bad, if not
worse than the wrong way, so a lot of time was wasted in false starts.
It is really a thing to ascend, not to descend : in ascending one can see
the route much better. And it is a magnificent ridge ; for continuous
difficulty and interest I think it is the best climb on Ben Nevis. The
'' Staircase " climb no doubt has some much stifTer bits in it, but the
average standard of difficulty is much higher on the Observatory
Ridge. We had hoped to return to the Summit Hotel by the Observa-
tory Buttress, but time failed, and we contented ourselves by walking
home by the Cam Mor Dearg arete. A. E. Robertson.
Sgurr Ruadh and Coire LAiR.--On Hinxman's advice (see
paper on Strath Carron as a climbing centre, S. M. C, Journal^ Vol. III.,
p. 218), H. Raeburn and £. Robertson paid a short visit to this
district last Easter. Owing to the extreme severity of the weather
experienced, only one climb was accomplished, but enough was seen
to show that the district is well worth exploration in that sense.
The first day, 2nd April, the party left Aviemore at 8.30, and
reached Achnashellach, the next station to Strathcarron, at 12.52.
Sending on heavy baggage to Strathcarron Hotel (small but com-
fortable), they ascended up into Coire Lair by the excellent stalking path
on the left bank of the stream. The weather was of the worst, dense
mist, a howling sleet-laden gale, and under foot eight to ten inches of
slush. Nothing of course was visible of the corrie. There is a fine
^22 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
series of cliffs on the east face of Fuar ThoU, and these were just
discernible.
Climbing was out of the question, so a map and compass course
was laid for the pass between Fuar ThoU and Sgurr Ruadh. The pass
was struggled through against the gale, and descending into the
Coulags Glen, the stream was Ibllowed down to Coulag^s Bridge, and
so by road to Strathcarron. There is a track on the right bank of the
river high up, but any one descending this, should cross to the left
bank by the first foot bridge, as the track continues down to a ford, and
the ground after this on the right bank is difficult, and broken with
ravines. The river here plunges down a series of fine falls in a deep
picturesque gorge, and is not easy to cross when full.
Sunday, 3rd April, was if possible worse than Saturday. A start
was not made till 10.30, and the nearest hill. An Ruadh Stac (2,919
feet), was made the objective. The route was by the Coulags Glen,
and the AUt nan Ceapairean to the tarn under the east face. Many
deer were seen here. An extraordinary series of ice-smoothed boiler-
plates sweeps up above this tarn. Though of comparatively low
angle, they appear difficult to traverse. Passing round the tarn, and
ascending to the Meall a Chinn Dearg (the bald hill with the red
head) col above the Lochan Coire an Ruadh Stac, the mountain was
traversed by the north-east ridge. In places this is a narrow ar^te, but
affords no climbing. The descent was made by the south-west face
into the valley of the Amhainn Bhuidheach, and so to Strathcarron
about five.
Monday^ 4M April, — Weather still windy and wild, but wind
slightly north-west and much colder ; clouds still low but showing in-
dications of breaking up. Snowline came down last night the 500 feet
melted on Sunday, and now lay at about 1,000 feet. Taking the
morning train to Achnashellach, that place was left at 7.40, and the track
of Saturday again followed. Instead of turning off to the left, however,
the party this time butted the gale up Coire Lair and past the lochan,
through a foot or so of snow, at first slushy but improving every
hundred feet. Second breakfast was taken at 10, in the comparative
peace of a boulder by the stream. The clouds now lifted and gave
fair views of the fine north-east face of Sgurr Ruadh.
There are several distinct buttresses on this face, separated by snow
gullies ; the most northerly of these is the highest and finest, and is more
of a definite ridge. Towards the summit a steep black portion shows up
as a tower. Near the foot the buttress is split by a narrow deep chimney
now carrying an almost unbroken ribbon of white far up the cliffs.
This portion of the face is cut off from the two more southerly buttresses
by a wide snow couloir, almost a corrie, steep towards the top, and
with some snow cornices. The Rev. A. E. Robertson along with a
friend ascended, on 26th May 1898, the southern buttress partly by the
rocks, and partly by a couloir to right. This appears to be the only
climb hitherto done in the corrie.
Excursions. ^23
The present party selected the north-east buttress for attack.
Looked at en facCy the rocks seemed hopelessly steep, and the gale
blew with undiminished violence against the north face, but the snow
in the chimney showed that the angle was not so great as appeared}
and we hoped by keeping below the crest of the ridge as much as
possible to be able to avoid the wind.
We accordingly roped up at 10.30 and started. As the rocks just
at the foot of the ridge were extremely steep and slabby, and were
moreover iced, we took to the chimney on the left for about 80 feet,
than traversed out to right by a good ledge and gained the ridge. We
were here glad to find that the wind, deflected by the rock wall, flew
over our heads and left us in comparative peace. The ascent of the
ridge occupied one hour and twenty minutes. The climbing in places,
owing to the conditions, was, not very easy, but the icy snow usually
adhering to the steep grassy walls gave good hitches, and handholds
could also be cut where required. Below the tower we crossed a
beautiful little col with sharp snow arete. Here we were exposed to the
full violence of the wind, and it was extraordinary with what force the
rope between us flew out to leeward like .1 drawn bowstring. It put us
in mind of the picture by Willink in the Badminton volume on
Mountaineering. The tower proved to be merely a steeper part of the
ridge, and was easily climbed. The top was gained at 11.50. This
is not the summit of Sgurr Ruadh, that lies about half a mile away to
north-west, on the other side of a dip of several hundred feet. We
reached the cairn (3,141) feet at 12.30, after a pretty tough fight for the
last 100 yards with the wind. The mist had now cleared off the near
peaks, and we had some fine though fleeting and partial views. The
best was to the north, where the tops of Leagach with the Fasarinen
showed up fitfully as the clouds rushed past them before the north-west
blast.
The descent was made by the south-west face to the pass of Fuar
Tholl and home by the Coulags Glen for the second time. Rain a
deluge. Our opinion confirms that of Mr Hinxman, that the district is
a fine one, and some excellent climbing is to be got here. The largest
mass of rock — seen from Sgurr Ruadh it appeared extremely steep —
lies on the north face of Fuar Tholl above the small Coire Mainrichean
on the south side of the Fuar ThoU-Sgurr Ruadh pass.
Harold Raeburn.
To Ski-Runners.— Mr W. R. Rickmers will be in Adelboden
from 1st January 1905 to ist February, and hopes that many members
or their friends (also ladies) will take advantage of his offer to teach
them skiing. Terms, none ; conditions, enthusiasm and discipline.
From loth to 29th Febniary W. R. R. will be found at Igls, above
Innsbruck, and during the latter part of April on the Feldberg, Black
Forest.
Please address, W. R. Rickmers, Radolfzell, Baden, Germany.
MOUNTAINEERING LITERATURE.
i*tt<
"The Tertiary Igneous Rocks of Skye." By Alfred Harker,
F.R.S. With notes by C. T. Clough. His Majesty's Stationery
Office, 1904.
Many of the members of our Club who visited the Cuillin Hills in
the Isle of Skye between 1895 ^^^ '90'> ^^^ w^° ^^^ ^^^ Harker
during those years while he was working out in the field the difficult
geological problems connected with this area, will be interested in the
publication of this the most recent issued memoir of the Geological
Survey of the United Kingdom. The book is replete with the
necessary information, diagrams, and photographs, to enable the
climber and geologist to clearly understand the Tertiary igneous rocks
constituting and adjacent to the Cuillin Hills. Geologists knew that
the investigation of these rocks required a broad and deep knowledge
of petrology, and that Mr Harker had in a marked degree these quali-
fications. To the petrologist this memoir is a perfect mine of wealth.
To enter, however, into petrological details would involve introducing
some of the readers of this journal to part of the English language
unknown to them. The only course is to give an imperfect summary,
and to refer members who would acquire further information to the
book itself. We gather that Mr Harker's views are as follows : —
In the earlier half of the Tertiary period the British area was in a
state of strain.- The crust movements and associated igneous activity
sought to restore the equilibrium, first by the uprising of molten
magma through north-west or north-north-west fissures communicating
with the surface, then by injections of the magma along the bedding
planes of the pre-existing rocks, and afterwards by faulting and tilting
of the solid rock masses. The igneous activity was probably asso-
ciated, as Bertrand suggests, with the movements that have depressed
the Atlantic basin. Furthermore, it is well known that the movement
which resulted in the formation of the Alps extended well into
England, and Mr Harker's work shows it caused minor disturbances
in the Inner Hebrides. The Atlantic movement was of the plateau
building type, was manifested as differential movements in a vertical
sense, and affected a wide region as a whole. The faulting and tilting
of the rocks produced by this Atlantic movement was preceded by
regional strain which was relieved by voluminous fissure eruptions,
many sub-parallel north-west or north -north-west dykes, and numer-
Mountaineering Literature. 225
ous and extensive sill intrusions along the bedding planes. The
Alpine movement was restricted to limited centres, of which the
Cuillin Hills were one, and was associated with central volcanic out-
bursts, with plutonic or deep-seated intrusions of the magma forming
bosses and great laccolites, and with the radial dykes, &c.
The Tertiary igneous rocks are to be treated as a connected whole,
having a common origin from a deep-seated reservoir of more or less
fluid rock magma. They comprise ultra-basic (peridotite, &c.), basic
(gabbro, &c.), and acid (granite, &c.) types, of which the basic are
most prevalent. As these rocks belong to a connected series it
naturally follows that rocks or rock magmas of basic and acid com-
position co-existed throughout a very long period in different parts of
the deep-seated reservoir underlying the area, and, as the rocks are
chiefly basic, the magma must have been of thoroughly basic com-
position. If, however, the basic and acid rocks had a common origin,
the acid rocks must have been derived by process of differentiation
from the basic magma. This differentiation was effected in the
reservoir at a very early stage, and the processes enlarged their limits
progressively during later stages. The great necessity for distinguish-
ing between the regional and local outbursts is clearly shown, and the
important point is proved "that the distinct foci at which activity
was from time to time localised was also the principal centre of
magmatic differentiation." Thus, while the widespread regional
series are all of basic composition, those of the local series (Cuillin
and Red Hills) vary from ultra basic-through basic to highly acid
rocks.
The well-known three different phases of igneous activity, namely,
the Volcanic outbursts, the Plutonic intrusions, and the phase of
Minor intrusions are each fully described in their prop)er order. The
earliest overt acts ushering in the Volcanic phase were local terrestrial
volcanic eruptions of dust and bombs which were followed by regional
extrusions of vast quantities of lava through innumerable fissures. In
the succeeding Plutonic phase the regional activity was in abeyance,
whilst in local centres immense quantities of ultra-basic, basic, and
acid magma were intruded largely in the form of laccolites, one of
which is over 3,000 feet thick, and perhaps 10 miles in diameter. These
successive intrusions decreased in basicity, and increased in acidity.
Mr Harker discovered amongst these plutonic rocks one which is new
to petrologists, which he calls marscoite, from Marsco, on the side of
which it was found. The descriptions of the rocks, of basic and acid
types, representing the transition from the Plutonic to the Minor
intrusions stages, greatly increase the scanty information hitherto
available. The Minor intrusions represent a succession of episodes
which fall into two parallel series, the local and regional. They
manifest a reversion to increasing basicity, and were connected with
the final efforts of the magma to rise during the decadence of the
igneous activity.
226 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
We presume that the laccolites were fissures, formed at right
angles to the direction of strain, into which the magma surged and
there consolidated. That in shape they were much like the typical
crevasse sometimes seen in the interior of a glacier, which in both
length and depth commences as a minute crack, expands irregularly
to a greater and greater width, and then decreases to a narrow crack.
The plutonic laccolites were, as we should expect, having regard to
the nature of the then movement, fissures formed approximately
parallel to the bedding planes of the pre-existing rocks. But are the
vertical dykes shown on the map in two directions approximately at
right angles, also laccolites at right angles to horizontal directions of
strain ? Many chimneys in Skye expand and contract like a crevasse ;
for instance, the prominent cavity in the north face of the Bhastier
Tooth. There does seem to be some similitude between the origin of
the spaces occupied by the horizontal laccolites and the vertical dykes
of Skye, and the horizontal crevasses and the vertical longitudinal
and vertical transverse crevasses of a glacier. It is significant that
Prof J. D. Forbes, whose knowledge of glaciers was so extensive,
first recognised the laccolitic nature of the Cuillin mass.
It is impracticable, within the limits of this review, to do justice to
the enormous mass of information collected in the field, and so ably
worked out in the laboratory by Mr Harker, much of which is new to
the geological world.
The chapter on the physical features and scenery of Skye is inter-
esting and instructive, for it deals with many points that assist the
climber to reconnoitre with skill.
To roam amidst these misty hills alone, far from any human
assistance, and in places where a slip might lead to disablement, is
not free from danger. On the other hand they are a grand place to
think out in weird solitude the problems that have been so carefully
and thoroughly elucidated by the author.
"The Pentland Hills: their Paths and Passes.'* 9th
Edition. 1904. By W. A. S(mith).
We are glad to notice that a further edition of Mr Smith's delight-
ful little book on the Pentlands has been issued. It is interesting to
compare the original booklet published in 1885 with the present ninth
edition. Thirty-nine pages in 1885 have expanded to sixty-four in
1904. In 1885 ^^G tourist was not conducted west of the Cauld Stane
Slap. Now we are guided from Harburn to Dolphinton and Dunsyre,
and as far west as Camwath and Auchengray. Those of us who have
not hitherto visited the south-west corner of the Pentlands would
do well to follow the routes so pleasantly described by the author.
Dunsyre always appeals to us for its pastoral peacefulness and repose,
"ra/s " Elegy " might well have been written there. On our first visit
Mountaineering Literature, 227
we remember receiving a distinct mental shock at finding a railway
station — a kind of unhallowed spot in the midst of a sweet solitude.
Fortunately dream-disturbing trains are rare. On the Dunsyre-
Auchengray route, via Boston Cottage and a ford over the North
Medwin, it is well to carry a pair of spare stockings, as we doubt
whether any S.M.C. man is capable of taking the ford at a bound,
and to sit in the train from Auchengray to Edinburgh with wet feet is
neither comfortable nor wise. We trust many more editions will be
required. Mr Smith's book has introduced the Pentlands to many
readers who otherwise would have remained in ignorance of the
delightful tracts of hill, moor, and glen to be had at their door, and we
are proud to number him as one of the Club's original members.
F. S. G.
XLVI. II
Scottieb nDountaineering Club.
OFFICE-BEARERS FOR 1905.
Hon, President -
President - - -
Vice-Presidents -
Hon, Secretary -
Hon, Librarian -
Hon. Treasurer-
Hon, Editor- -
■{
The Marquis of Breadalbanex
John Rennie.
James Maclay.
J AS. W. Drummond.
W. INGLIS Clark, 29 Lauder Road, Edinburgh,
F. S. GOGGS, 25 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.
R. G. Napier, 107 St Vincent Street, Glasgow.
W. Douglas, 9 Castle Street, Edinburgh.
Committee,
W. W. Naismith.
Rev. A. E. Robertson.
Harry Walker.
H. Raeburn.
W. Garden.
W. N. Ling.
A. W. Russell.
H. T. Munro.
Sub-Committee for Club-room,
The Hon. Secretary.
The Hon. Editor.
The Hon. Librarian (Convener),
THE SCOTTISH
MounUinttxiviS Club 3aumaL
Vol. VIII. May 1905. No. 47.
IN THE NORTH-WEST HIGHLANDS IN
FEBRUARY.
By S. a. Gillon.
It was without hope of a companion that I decided to
utih'se that anomalous holiday known as " February week "
by exploring the mountains at the head of Loch Duich.
They are both shapely and numerous, and with good
weather might yield between ten and twenty scalps, if
energetically attacked from Shiel Inn. It seemed hard to
believe that a whole year ago Munro and I had plunged
about in the plentiful and yielding snow-fields of the
Eastern Cairngorms, still harder to realise that it was three
years since I had had two strenuous days — also in Feb-
ruary — from Peebles to Tibbie's by Scrape and Broad Law,
and from Tibbie's to Beattock by the summit of Ettrick
Pen. The lesson was obvious, and to the effect that as
time was flying I had better lose no time if the impudent
embryo of an idea of rivalling " A. E. R." and " H. T. M."
was to ever reach maturity.
The end makes us scorn impediments ; and the 4.30
A.M. train is after all not much of an infliction. It is in-
finitely less distracting than a visit to the dentist or a ball
to a non-dancer. Far more could be " tholed " for the joy
of throwing off torpor with the first glimmerings of day at
Tarbet, as I did on Saturday morning, 4th February, en
route for Mallaig. Even that well - known highway to
XLVII. A
i
230 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
happiness — ^the West Highland Railway — merited the im-
passioned language of a poet, for the day was remarkable.
Some mountains were shrouded in mist ; others were clear
from base to summit ; others were swept by cloud and
then suddenly laid bare again. The rivers were full of
flood, broadened frequently out into lakes in the straths, or
if penned up like the Spean, boiled and surged and roared
down their rocky fastnesses. Sometimes there was sun-
shine, and sometimes great waves of rain, but except for
one tremendous shower at Mallaig, it lasted only a short
time. It was pleasant after landing at Glenelg and driving
the flat part of Glen More, to shed extra clothing and
unstiffen oneself on the hill up to Mam Ratagan, with the
fine view of Ben Sgriol to look back on and the expectation
of the Kintail giants when the summit was crossed.
Shiel was soon reached, and the next day breathlessly
waited for. Alas, it was pouring persistently, ruthlessly,
and continued to do so till noon on Monday, when I started
for Sgurr Fhuaran, which must be one of the very easiest of
hills to walk up in the world. A well-defined ridge leads
at a steady angle to the top. It was too tempting ; so
directly the 500 feet level was marked by the aneroid, an
acceleration of speed enabled the top to be reached exactly
an hour later. There was very little snow except on the
north-east face, and on parts of the ridge running north to
Sgurr nan Cam, which my aneroid made out to be about
3,300 feet high. There was plenty of time for Sg^rr na
Ciste Duibhe, but a terrific blizzard of wet, small, eye-
torturing sleety snow drove me from the col down into
Glen Shiel, and so home. These are the occasions when
one feels alternately wise and a poltroon according to the
momentary fluctuations of the weather, and the only feel-
ing comparable to being thus " turned " is when one has
decided not to take the train to North Berwick on account
of rain and wind, and the day proves subsequently to be
fine and wet by turns in Edinburgh, and one can't imagine
how it has been behaving itself at North Berwick or how
the " other fellow " received the postponing telegram.
Tuesday was much better, and was spent on the Saddle,
which was traversed from the lochan south of Sgurr Mhic
In the North- West Highlands in February, 231
Bharraich to Sgurr na Sgine and " the Whelk." There was
plenty wind, periodic mists, and not much of a distant
view, but superb colouring and cloud effects. As one rises
from the lochan the first familiar sight visible to the west
is Dun Caan in Raasay, and soon as much of Skye as
deigns to show itself follows suit.
The '' Saddle " is by no means a walk, and any one
keeping strictly to the ridge must frequently scramble, and
in one place, just to the east of the true summit, actually
climb. But the best of the rock-work seems to be on the
ridge, as the faces down to the glen are slabby and short.
The view must be very fine seawards, and into Knoydart
and Glen Quoich. But to the north and north-east the hills
lie behind one another in parallel ridges, and many are thus
lost. The " Cralie " group, however, stand out splendidly ;
but any ambitions I had in that direction, i>., by climbing
Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, and keeping along the tops as
long as strength or weather kept up, was knocked on the
head by another rainstorm which followed a fine starry
evening, and which cleared off all the snow on practically
all the south and south-west faces. Once more it was a
case of books, missing out lunch for the sake of training,
and an evening constitutional down to Croe Bridge and
back.
Thursday promised well, and accompanied by Mr
Stoddart, one of the stalkers of Glen Cluanie, as far as
the top of Creag nan Damh, I set out again alone towards
Sgurr na Lochain. The wind was terrific, but the walking
easy, and the day only cold when rain came on.
This unfortunately did come accompanied by mist, but
as the momentum was mainly from behind and the ridge
quite unmistakable, and being, moreover, adorned with a
superb "Galloway" dyke and a wire fence as guides, it
accelerated rather than retarded the going. It was at once
easier and pleasanter to run for great stretches, especially
along the almost interminable plateau called Meall Cheann
Dearg. The dips seemed shallower than they looked on
the map, the increasing storm had elevated the barometer
to 3400 feet in places, and it was only by a momentary
glimpse of a little frozen tarn below and behind me that I
232 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
realised I was close to the end of my high-level walk and
practically on the top of Creag a* Mhaim.
The ridge of Meall Ceann Dearg and Sgurr an Lochan
is of much interest On the south it slopes more or less
gently down towards Loch Quoich, of which beautiful
peeps are to be had. The fine masses of Sgurr a' Mhoraire
and Gleourach are very insistent features of the scenery on
that side. To the north the angle is much steeper ; there is
quite a lot of rock on the summit, which in some places is
quite narrow and demands care, and fine slabs and buttresses
fall away into the superbly bellied corries which face the
Shiel-Cluanie road. None of it looked very good for
climbing, but there must be many short and difficult
routes for the intrepid acrobat, who would hunt so far
afield, on the buttresses and slabby faces. The velocity of
the wind may be gathered from the fact that it was dis-
quieting to approach too near the edge in case of being
wafted over like a feather or a cloth cap by an extra blast
Once below the mist line on the bold fall of this fine
hill, Creag a' Mhaim, towards the east, the road from
Cluanie to Tomdown could be seen far below winding its
way across the watershed, down Glen Loyne, and over the
next ridge towards Glengarry.
When I struck the road at an elevation of about 140a
feet, it was just four hours and a half since the Shiel-Cluanie
road had been left rather more than four miles from Shiel
Inn.
The rest of the trip has nothing more of mountaineering
interest about it, so I will merely dismiss it with the re-
marks that a rainstorm came on in the afternoon, that
much snow fell in the night, that the heat in the parlour-
car to Cowlairs was stifling, and that the prospect of
metropolitan civilisation generally, and Dohnanyi's recital
in particular on the morrow, was as seductive as the savour
of fish to a cat
The district is undoubtedly well worthy of the en-
thusiastic hill-walker. From Shiel, with the aid of trap or
bicycle, Sgurr nan Ceathramhan, even Mam Soul and his
great twin brother, are possibilities, while Ben Attow and
the Saddle and Sgurr Fhuaran and their respective continu-
In the North-West Highlands in February. 233
ations eastwards supply a wealth of tops nearer hand. The
feature of Glen Shiel and Glen Cluanie is that the hills on
either side are an unbroken wall which seldom drops below
the 3,000 feet level.
It is a costly business to study literature for two and a
half days out of a climbing holiday of five, and it is occa-
sionally irritating to grope about and be buffeted by the
elements on the remaining two and a half; but all the same
the journey north, the new lands seen, the weird roughness
of the Saddle, and the wonderful atmospheric effects as
seen from Sgurr Fhuaran and the whole range from Sgurr
Leac nan Each to Creag a' Mhaim were well worth the
expenditure of will power and coin. Still it is curious to
reflect that when the uninitiated picture a visit to the
Highlands in February as something a little after the
nature of a Polar exploration, it is the very lack of that
Arctic severity which causes the chief discomforts and
hindrances. The weather was admirable {a) for sitting in
a room with the window as much open as it would go ; {b)
for washing, dressing, and undressing where little clothing
can be worn ; but how welcome a ringing hard frost would
have been with blue sky, clear horizon, still but life-giving
air, and heaps of firm snow. Even from Sweden one hears
of the " Skidlopning " in the " Nordiska Spelen " having to
take place away north in Jamtland instead of as usual in
the environs of Stockholm. Apparently in the peninsulas
and islands of Northern Europe the climate is becoming
less continental and more maritime or insular, or whatever
is the term for dampness, unseasonable mildness, and more
than feminine changeableness. Only this summer a Swedish
gentleman of some years informed me that the winters nowa-
days were poor compared with those of the good old times.
One hears much of the same thing in this country, of an
age when skating from Edinburgh to Linlithgow along the
canal was common contrasted with a winter like the present,
when the reservoirs in the Pentlands are half empty and
the fields parched with lack of moisture.
But this sounds ungrateful. What I can do is to advise
any, who have an opportunity, to visit Shiel, where from
the head of lovely Loch Duich they have a wealth of
234 '^f^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Joumnl.
material for their craft, and to wish them such weather as
will g^ve them the good of their visit and show off the
wonderful, almost Norwegian, beauties of the district.
Shiel is a very comfortable hotel, and I have no doubt that
terms could be arranged with the proprietor similar to those
which the Club have with so many of the hotel proprietors
in the Highlands.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts. 235
STUCHD AN LOCHAIN AND THE UPPER
PART OF GLEN LYON.
By F. S. Goggs.
^ There they stood, ranged along the hill-sides, met
To view the last of me, a living frame
For one more picture I in a sheet of flame
I saw them and I knew them alL And yet
Dauntless the slug-horn to my lips I set.
And blew.'' — Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came,
A SINGLE word will often set one's thoughts a-roaming,
and the occurrence of several black dots against which
was printed the word "Tower," in Bartholomew's Map
comprising Glen Lyon, has excited my imagination for
several years. First I thought of a Scottish rival to the
castellated Rhine, then I imagined I might have discovered
the scene of Browning's well-known poem, the last stanza
of which is quoted above. The glamour of romance being
thus thrown over the upper part of Glen Lyon, I eagerly
accepted an invitation from Munro last New Year to
accompany him in a third attempt on Stuchd an Lochain.
Even apart from the fact that I wished to visit this parti-
cular portion of the country, I think every member of the
S.M.C. is bound out of gratitude to the compiler of Munro's
Tables to assist that enthusiast in what I believe is his
intention of beating Robertson's bag of all the three-
thousanders by equalling the latter in mountains and sur-
passing him in tops ascended. To find the main route or
routes to Stuchd an Lochain, I turned to what I hoped
were to prove the illuminating pages of the S.M.C. Guide
Book. I conned the indices of the Journal^ but they
were innocent of any such name. I turned up Munro's
Tables to make sure the hill was included in the list of
the immortals. Yes, there he was right enough. No. 191.
I turned afresh to the Guide Book, and diligently traced
Stuchd an Lochain's neighbours : all his neighbours were
duly scheduled, but not even " No information " was set
against him. He has been absolutely and entirely ignored.
I feel I am entitled to ask our Editor for an explanation
236 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
of this omission. Why this nepotism, this favouritism ? *
Are not all the " Munros " entitled by the mere fact of their
being " Munros " to at least a mention in the Guide Book ?
Of course I am aware that this hill boasts at its foot no
Loch Awe Hotel, no Corrie Arms or other place of popular
resort replete with fireplaces in the bedrooms, hot-water
bottles and other luxuries for the aged and infirm ; but are
our Scottish Bens to be given places of consideration
according to the quality of the hotels at their base?
Luxury, luxury, luxury, everything is sacrificed nowa-
days to the goddess Luxury : she conquered the Alps long
ago, and now she is devouring the S.M.C., and the Editor, 1
regret to think, stands not up against her, but has fallen
a victim to her blandishments. Again, on the ground of
antiquity Stuchd an Lochain is entitled to an honoured
place. The earliest recorded ascent of Ben Cruachan, which
mountain occupies several pages in the Guide Book, took
place, according to our esteemed Editor, at the beginning
of the last century. I have found the record of an ascent
of Stuchd an Lochain in about the year 1590. It reads as
follows : —
"On the brow of Stuic-cm-lochain — a huge rock beetling over a
deep circular mountain tarn — they encountered a flock of goats. Mad
Colin t [Colin Campbell of Glenlyon, d. 1596 or 1597] and his man
forced them over the precipice. When surveying their work from the
top of the cliff, Colin unexpectedly came behind Finlay [his attendant],
and ordered him, in a threatening voice, to jump over. He knew it
was useless to resist. He said quietly, and as a matter of course : * I
will, Glenlyon ; but,' looking at a grey stone behind them, * I would
just like to say my prayers at yon stone first ; it is so like an altar.'
Colin mused, looked at the stone, and, letting go his hold, bade him
go, and be back immediately. Finlay reached the stone, knelt down,
muttered whatever came uppermost, and every now and then took a
sly look at his master. Colin stood yet on the edge of the cliff, and
kept looking on the mangled bodies of the goats. He seemed to
♦ [The Editor of the Guide Book frankly admits he was not aware
that the claims of this mountain were sufficiently great to entitle it to
a place in the Guide Book. He, however, will be pleased to get a
condensed report from Mr Goggs which can be printed with other
additions at some future time.]
t Mad Colin built the Castle of Meggemie (five miles east of Stuic-
an-Iochain), probably about 1582.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts. 237
become horrified at his own mad work. Finlay lost not his oppor-
timity. He stealthily crept behind his master, grasped him by the
shoulders, juid shouted, in a thundering voice, ' Leap after the goats.'
The unhappy lunatic supplicated for mercy, in vain. Finlay*s grasp
was like a vice ; and he so held him over the precipice, that if let go
he could not recover himself, but inevitably fall over. * Let me go
this once,' supplicated Colin. * Swear, first, you shall not circumvent
me again.' * By Mary ? * * Nay, by your father's sword.' ' By my
father's sword, I swear.' * That will do ; now we go home.' " *
Obedient to Munro's fiery cross, the night of 29th
December 1904 found our leader, Nelson, and myself eating
the crumbs which fell from the table of a Masonic banquet in
an adjoining room,into which, the " tyler " having deserted his
post, one of us incautiously wandered. Luckily the intruder
was the only Mason in our small party, and so survived
to tell the tale. At 5.30 a.m. next day we were roused. At
seven we cautiously felt our way into a two-horse machine,
and were soon ploughing through the darkness up Glen
Lochay. It had been a wild night of storm and rain, and
the west wind was still hurling its misty cloud battalions
down the glen. Ever and anon there was a lull, a few
stars peeped out and were reflected in the sullen stream
on our left, then with apparently redoubled force came the
rain-storm sweeping down the wide glen and completely
enveloping it I did my best to use the driver as a break-
water, but to no purpose, and we huddled together in
silence— -our close companionship being only broken by the
necessity of opening several gates and recovering the
driver's cap which blew away. I reconciled myself to a
thorough soaking, but determined that come what might,
it should not be my fault if Munro did not bag his
mountain at this his third attempt. At eight precisely we
reached the farm of Kenknock (745 feet), and leaving the
machine to await our return, we struck up Allt Truchill, and
soon found an old track f which led us well up the east side
♦ "The Lairds of Glenlyon," Duncan Campbell, pp. 17, 18.
tThis track is marked on the old one-inch Ordnance Survey Map,
but does not appear on the revised one-inch. It is still fairly well defined,
and is certainly worth the trouble of following to any one walking over
to Glenlyon from Kenknock. The track starts a quarter of a mile
238 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
of the glen. The col marked by a cairn is 1,738 feet, and is
half a mile beyond a small lochan which lies some distance
below you to the west. Up to this point the rain had been
consistently washing our faces, and we had all I think
quietly resigned ourselves to what seemed our inevitable
fate. Beyond the col we strained our eyes to get a view
of Glen Lyon. We soon made out that there was a glen
below us, and a dim wall of mountain with dull silver
streaks here and there, proving the existence of bums,
loomed up indefinitely on the further side. The path led
to a bridge which we crossed, and soon afterwards the
track withered away. The circling mists were now dis-
tinctly rolling up the hillsides, the rain abated, and hope
commenced to rise from her ashes. Soon the river Lyon
was clearly seen, one or two farms became visible, and the
opposite hills assumed a less vague aspect On we went
with lighter hearts, making for a house we saw marked on
the map named Lubreoch, and a ford close to. There is
always a spice of romance and adventure in making an
incursion into a little known Highland glen. The houses
named on your map may have been in ruins for the last
century, the fords shown thereon may only be passable on
one or two occasions in the year ; the fact that the map
shows no bridge at the point you wish to cross is by no
means satisfactory evidence that there is none, or vice versa
if a bridge is shown at a particular point, what proof have
you that it was not washed away yesterday or ten years
ago ? We were in a most delightful state of uncertainty
this morning as to fords, houses, and bridges. To my
mind this uncertainty is one of the chief charms in climb-
ing or walking in the Highlands. Most of us live in towns,
and our lives are calculated to the minute. Start for
business at such and such a time ; keep certain appoint-
ments at fixed hours ; lunch at a certain place and moment ;
return home by a stated route at practically a fixed time ;
dinner at ; bed at . Hurrah for a day's fling in
north of Kenknock. Strike the first burn to the west of the farm, and
follow it north till it forks : the beginning of the track will be found
100 yards on, inside the fork.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts. 239
the Highlands. Unfettered and free, we go where we please.
Away with your Guide Book and details of routes : the
unknown for me! To come back to our journey. The
day was undoubtedly clearing up rapidly, patches of blue
sky appeared, the sun came out, and the hillsides were
rain-pearled, sparkling as if with joy. We saw a good
broad river below us, and looked up and down for a bridge.
Not a sign of one ! A little further, and we caught sight
of a cottage which was evidently that marked Lubreoch on
the map. Round another knoll and there was a boat,
moored our side of the river, close to the cottage. We
luckily found the shepherd at home, but he was none too
eager to take us over, as the boat he told us was " nae ill to
coup," which being translated by Munro for my benefit, I
found to mean " easily upset." The river, at the ford where
the boat was, ran deep and swift, and the navigation of the
crossing undoubtedly demanded care. Our ice-axes came
in useful as boathooks, and in two journeys the three of us
were across. From the ferry we had the first view of our
hill. The sun had drawn up the mists, several waterfalls were
racing down in quivering masses of snowy white, and there
stood Stuchd an Lochain revealed to our eager eyes, away
back over the near hills forming the north side of Glen
Lyon, with a light mantle of snow covering his summit.
I looked up and down the glen expecting to see picturesque
towers on knolls, but none were apparent ; and as Munro
anticipated we had enough to do to fill in our day and
knew nothing about towers, I reluctantly dismissed them
from my mind for the time being. Along the road east
for half a mile, then taking again to the moor, we struck
the burn, coming down Allt Camslai, above Pubil Farm, and
mounting rapidly, soon reached the open moor, which
stretched away to the north-east, gently sloping right up
to the summit of Stuchd an Lochain. The driest route is
to keep the ridge to your north, but it matters little, and
each choosing our own line, an eagle welcomed us at the
summit cairn (3,144 feet) at twelve — four hours after leaving
Kenknock. The view is not extensive, except to the
north-west, over the moor of Rannoch, lonely, bleak, and
black. The winter so far had been open to an extent
240 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
rarely known ; there was practically no snow up to 2,750
feet, and the country did not present its usual wintry-
aspect Nearly 2,000 feet below to the north stands the
solitary farmhouse of Lochs, looking like a grey alpine
hospice. It is presumably called Lochs from the fact of its
being situated between two lochs, Loch Dhamh and Loch
Girre, but only the first -named can be seen from an
Lochain — a high ridge cuts off any view of Loch Girre.
Immediately below (some 750 feet) is Lochan nan Cat ;
the steep faces round this lochan are broken up, mixed
rock and turf. There does not seem to be any regular
rock cliff or face. Munro did not try to dispose of his
companions by emulating Mad Colin, and we proceeded
east to bag another top. The descent of the first 173 feet
is fairly steep, then you rise 34 feet and are over the 3,000
line again (3,005 to be exact), another slight drop below the
3,000 contour, up again, and the cairn at the east end of the
summit ridge (3,031 feet) is soon reached, a little more than
a mile from the summit itself. Striking due south by the
Allt Cashlie, we dropped down on Cashlie Farm (1,000 feet)
a little after one, and were hospitably entertained by Mr
and Mrs M*Kerchar* inside, whilst certain unscrupulous
collies, to make matters even, ransacked my rucksac, which
I had incautiously left outside. Wishing to explore upper
Glen Lyon, I proposed reaching Loch Awe Hotel, the site
of the New Year Meet, by walking to Tyndrum, and taking
train thence. As Munro had twice already traversed the
glen, it was agreed that I should do the tramp alone, and
that he and Nelson should go back to the trap at Ken-
knock by a nearer way. They crossed the bridge over
the Lyon, a quarter of a mile east of Cashlie (this is the last
bridge (west) over the Lyon), then west by Dalchiorlich, after
passing which farm it is best to keep well up the shoulder
of the hill on your left up the trackless Allt Rioran to the
* In 1800 a Macnaughton had Cashlie : his son James took part in
Sir Ralph Abercromb/s expedition to Egypt, and at the landing of the
troops in Aboukir Bay on the 8th March 1801 was the first to reach
the shore, after "a neck-and-neck race between the Highlanders and
the 23rd and 40th Regiments." — " The Book of Garth and Fortingall,"
Duncan Campbell, pp. 240, 241.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts. 241
well-defined col at its head (1,941 feet). The last 200 feet
up and the first 200 feet down the other side are steep, with
a number of rocks scattered about Kenknock is then
seen immediately below. My erstwhile companions duly
reached their machine in under two hours. After promis-
ing to join them at Tyndrum Station about 7.30, I started
west at a good pace, leaving Cashlie 1.40 P.M. Every now
and then a shower came on, but this only made the glen
look finer, the mist magnifying the shoulders of Meall
Ghaordie which jutted out like huge cliffs and overlapped
each other. The bridge at Invermeran was half broken
down, but climbing up the centre buttress and then throwing
dignity to the winds, I crawled across the two remaining tree
stems, and so reached the further shore. Along the side
of Loch Lyon the track dives again and again, and some-
times for a considerable distance, into the loch itself, and
the walker is forced to take a track a little higher. Half
a mile past Ardvannoch some malignant sprite lured me
to leave the main track and strike off across a bridge over
the stream coming down the Abhainn Ghlas, to Tomo-
choarn. I passed half-a-dozen men here, who stared at me
in an interested kind of way, but with true Highland reserve
said nothing. It was 3.50 and getting dark, so I hurried
on along a rough track which in two and a half miles
ended at some sheep-fanks. The glen now became very
boggy and very dark, and by coming several croppers I
proved both these facts simultaneously. The glens seemed
to wind much more than I had anticipated, but being a
non-smoker, I could not consult map, compass, or watch.
However, I kept on, and after a time found I had crossed
the watershed (1,366 feet). I was then forced up to the left
to avoid a gorge of the burn ; it was now so dark that to
the malignant sprites watching, my motions must have ap-
peared very unsteady, but I drank nothing but bum water,
and fed in thought on the plum pudding and jam pieces long
since hidden securely by those thieving Cashlie collies. Com-
ing down to the stream again, I tried the other side, but after
scrambling up a steep bank and finding no obvious route in
the darkness, I recrossed the stream and stumbled along till
a side burn in flood foaming down a deep rocky channel
242 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
brought me to a full stop. Here, thought I, I must pass
the night In front of me was a sugar-loaf peak, which
I guessed must be Beinn Dorain, and the lights of a train
confirmed me in this. The line was evidently not far off;
so near and yet so far. I reckoned it must be about 6.30,
and now the pride of office came to my rescue. The
Librarian of the S.M.C. throwing up the sponge at 6.30 P.M.
No! never! I will get to the railway line. The only
reasonable course open was to follow the bum up to the
sky-line, so putting my not over-willing muscles to work,
another 1,000 feet was soon added to the day's play. I
then crossed over the prostrate body of my enemy, and
was on the open hillside. A light ! Don't be fooled by a
will o' the wisp. Again, a light ! It does not move. It
is far below. It must be a light from a cottage. Feeling
my way cautiously with my ice-axe down what seemed a
steep stony slope, with here and there a six-foot piece of cliff,
I soon crossed the railway metals and found a surfaceman's
cottage. It was only 7.30, but all chance of reaching Tyn-
drum Station in time to join Munro and Nelson was gone.
The good lady of the house only spoke Gaelic, but her
hospitality was genuine and acceptable. She quickly made
some refreshing tea, and after half an hour's rest I followed
the metals south for over a mile, then taking to the road
I walked into the hall of Tyndrum Hotel at 9 P.M. Mr
Stewart, so well-known as a type of the old-fashioned hotel-
keeper, who looks on his guests with personal interest,
soon made me comfortable in his private parlour. After
making out a telegram to Loch Awe for sending the first
thing next morning, I slept the sleep of the just. On con-
sulting the map I found I had in sheer carelessness turned
off south half a mile beyond Ardvannoch instead of keeping
along the well-defined track due west. I could give half-
a-dozen most excellent reasons for making such a mistake,
but to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it
was a piece of gross and inexcusable carelessness, and
when I next do walk abroad at the New Year I have
determined to take a lantern and matches, in addition to
brains chastened by experience.
The " Towers " still weighed heavily on my mind, and
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts, 243
2 A.M. on Saturday, the 25th February 1905, saw Gilbert
Thomson and myself leaving Killin Junction Station with
the aid of a lantern. At 3.15 A.M. we surrounded the
Bridge of Lochay Hotel, and having captured Nelson and
Grove with great stores of provisions, &c., we conducted
our captives up Glen Lochay, and turning north a quarter
of a mile beyond Duncroisk, 7.50 A.M. found us on the
summit of Meall Ghaordie in thick mist. Taking a com-
pass course north-west, we descended a fairly steep slope
composed of grass and small rocks consolidated by ice.
To ensure the respectability of our garments, we put on the
rope, and cutting steps here and there, soon reached snow
and a more moderate angle. A thousand feet from the
top we emerged from the mist, and it seemed as if in a
moment we had been transported by a magician's wand
into fairyland. The same effect is produced when one
comes out into a forest glade lit up with bright sunshine
after an hour or two's stay in some limestone cave. Sun-
light seems, then, something quite novel and unreal, and
of magic power and charm. So it was now. Behind us,
mist, cold, and gloom ; before us, blue sky and bright
sun, dark winding river and snow-draped hills. The whole of
the upper part of Glen Lyon from Cashlie to the north end
of the loch lay at our feet. The sun lit up a grand circle
of snow-covered " Munros " to the west, and An Grianan,
like a sparkling sugar-cone, stood over against us above
Cashlie. Steering straight for the bridge we could see over
the Lyon just to the east of Cashlie, we threaded our way
down a cliff face (Sloe an Fhir Ruaidh) much broken up
and gracefully festooned with ice stalactites, but affording
some sport in the prevailing wintry conditions. We were
told afterwards by the farmer at Cashlie that the best route
from the summit of Ghaordie to the farm was to continue
due west from the summit along the ridge for about a mile,
and turn off north just before reaching a cairn ; a straight
course can then be made direct for the farm, and by this
route all cliffs are avoided. At 10.30 we were sitting*in
the farm parlour drinking the health of our entertainers in
milk. Since my last visit to Glen Lyon I had gleaned a
considerable amount of information about the " Towers,"
244 ^-^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
and had learned that they had been defunct for some
centuries, but that the foundations of four might still be
seen at Cashlie. Nelson kindly volunteered to assist me
in measuring the ruins of the four towers, the first of
which lies between Cashlie and the river, and the last
between the road and the river one mile west. Thomson
and Grove meantime walked on towards the Bridge of
Balgie, and at 12.15 Nelson and I started in chase. The
views here both up and down the glen are fine, and for the
first three miles we turned repeatedly to admire the rock-
faces of the twin shoulders of Meall Ghaordie, Creag
Laoghain (2,663 feet), and Creagan Tulabhan (2,250 feet),
which, seen end on, looked like independent peaks. One
narrow and straight snow gully on Creagan Tulabhan
looked as if it would have given a good climb, and I should
not wonder if this shoulder rewarded the search of the ultra-
montane. An Grianan (over 2,500 feet) also stands up very
boldly to the north of Cashlie, but there is no climbing to be
had on it A stern chase is proverbially a long one, and we
only caught the fugitives the other side of the Bridge of
Balgie, where they had stopped for a meal. Leaving us a jar
of jam in exchange for the rope, they went on up the Lochan
na Lairig road, and we soon followed tramping doggedly
up to the summit of the pass (1,805 feet), not a yard of
downhill in the four and a half miles. The monotony of
the glen is relieved by a fine view of the north side of the
Tarmachans, which show from here a serrated ridge. One
and a half miles from the south end of the lochan we
crossed the stream, and steering a little west of due south
we struck the highroad on Loch Tay side at Morenish.
Now and then we came across traces of a path, but for
practical purposes there is no track, notwithstanding the
evidence of the Ordnance Survey Map to the contrary.
Just before turning off the highroad, the Club's Honorary
President passed us driving, and at 5.35 P.M. we arrived at
Loch Tay Station, our memories stored with all the varied
incidents and scenes of a day's trip successful from every
point of view.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts, 245
THE CASHLIE FORTS.
In reference to Glen Lyon there is an old Gaelic saying, which
translated reads : "The Feinne have twelve castles in the dark crooked
glen of rough stones." * The Feinne (Fionn, singular ; Feinne, plural)
were one of the early Celtic tribes, who made their home in the western
part of Scotland. The sites of the twelve castles can still be shown.
Beinn Chaisteal, the hill to the south-east of Beinn Doireann, is so-
called from having had the westernmost of the twelve castles on its
slopes.t At Cashlie (Castles) the remains of four castles are still
visible, and the site of a fifth is pointed out near Dalchiorlich, a farm
on the south bank of the Lyon, nearly opposite Cashlie.
Each of the four castles or forts now consists simply of a number
of stones lying, roughly speaking, in a circle. ' Three of the castles are
built on a slope, and preparatory to erecting the walls a level founda-
tion seems to have been prepared by raising a mound of earth against
the sloping hillside. The interior of the castles is fairly clear of stones.
The foundations of the walls, which were about ^\ feet thick, can be
traced fairly well, though many stones lie scattered immediately inside
and outside the walls, and many others have fallen down the sloping
mound or even beyond.
At the present time there are no two stones standing one on the
top of the other. According to the " Statistical Account of Scotland," {
published in 1792, the height of the walls was then "inconsiderable,
not above 5 feet ; but a good many of the stones have fallen."
In the " New Statistical Account,'* § published fifty years later, we
read : " The original height of the walls cannot now with accuracy be
traced or ascertained ; . . . but the presumption is that it was not less
than 12 feet" In the "Lairds of Glenlyon,'*|| Mr Duncan Campbell
says : " Glenlyon tradition strongly points to these round forts having
been all lofty and roofed edifices, but the diameter of the Cashlie forts
is too great for any beam to cover it."
With the exception of one huge boulder in the wall of Caisteal an
Duibhne, the stones now to be seen are of an ordinary size, 3 feet by
2 J by I being the average dimensions. The huge boulder referred to
probably fell from An Grianan, the hill just above, and the builders
of the fort used it in situ as a portion of their wall. There are, in
the neighbourhood, a number of similar huge boulders, which have
evidently had the same origin.
♦ "The Lairds of Glenlyon/* Duncan Campbell, p. 3. "The
Gaelic Kingdom in Scotland," Chas. Stewart, p. 70. " Sketches of the
Highlanders of Scotland," Major-General David Stewart, p. 22.
t "The Book of Garth and Fortingall," Duncan Campbell, pp.
42, 43-
X Vol. II. p. 456. -I These extracts refer generally to the forts in
§ Vol. X. p. 550. ] Glen Lyon, not specially to those at Cashlie.
Page 317.
XLVII. B
246 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
The cause of the disappearance of the walls of the castles is '' the
constant dilapidation carried on by people from the neighbouring
villages,"* or rather farm-houses, who make use of the stones for
building enclosure walls, sheep-fanks, &c.
There is no trace of any cement or mortar having been employed.*
There are no traces of any openings in the walls, nor of any dividing
walls in the interior of the forts.
For what purpose were these castles used ?
The " New Statistical Account " * says : "It does not clearly
appear that they were watch-towers, as has been conceived by some,
as they are but seldom in view of each other, and are as often in low
as in high situations."
Campbell states t that " there can be little doubt these towers were
used both for protection and watch-towers."
Stewart's opinion is, X that " these castles formed refuges to which
all the inhabitants fled in times of danger, but they may also have at
other times been to some extent used for residence. It is undoubted
that the more immediate retainers of the chieftain would form a small
colony whose houses surrounded the fort ; but whether he himself
lived within, or had a dwelling-house adjoining, it is impossible to say."
From the fact that there were five forts at Cashlie in a distance
of one mile, I should not think that the Cashlie forts were built as
watch-towers, though of course one of them might have been built for
that purpose.
Castie No. x. — To come to details with regard to the forts. Arriving
from the east, the first Cashlie fort is immediately below Cashlie farm-
house, just to the south of the road. It is called " Caisteal McNiall"
on the six-inch Ordnance Survey Map. Campbell calls it " Caisteal
Mhic-Reill,'*§ and thinks that the castle is so designated from the name
of its last inhabitant. In " the fourteenth century" the castles were
probably allowed to fall into ruins, and for the convenience of hunting
parties "pubuls" or sylvan lodges were built. |! The next farm west
from Cashlie is called Pubul. The ground slopes away to the south,
on which side is a semicircular enclosure, abutting on the castle,
diameter 24 feet, radius 10^ (inside measurements) ; its diameter runs
east and west, and the stones forming this side are built close in
to the mound of the castle with no space between.
Castle No. 2 is situated half a mile west of No. i, immediately to
the south of the road, and is named Caisteal Con a Bhacain or castle
of the dog's keeper. It is so-called from a remarkable stone shaped
♦ " New Statistical Account," Vol. X. p. 55a
t " The Lairds of Glenlyon," p. 3.
t "Gaelic Kingdom in Scotland," p. 71.
§ " The Book of Garth and Fortingall," p. 37.
"The Book of Garth and Fortingall," p. 38.
Stuchd an Lochain and Cashlie Forts. 247
exactly like a dog's head and neck, rising straight out of the ground,
some 60 yards east of the Caisteal.
Bacan nan Con^ as the stone is called, that is, the dog's keeper or
tether stake, ^* to which the Fingalians tied their stag-hounds, ... is
a thin stone, about i\ feet in height, resembling the letter q^ with the
small end set into the ground." '*''
Mr Campbell also remarks on this stone, and says : " This stone, in
form like a huge (!) figure 7, is now so deeply buried in the ground,
that little more than the head and a few inches of the shaft of it can
be seen.t ... It bears no marks of chisel or hammer on the part of it
above ground ; but if it was not shaped for a tether stake by man.
Nature had strangely done that work for him. The bucan is supposed
to have mysterious influence on those who pass under it.'' X A very
quaint superstition in regard to this influence is mentioned by Anderson
in his " Guide to the Highlands." §
The measurements of the stone are as follows : —
From the tip of the nose to the back of the head is 24 inches, and
the line is parallel to the ground.
From the top of the head to the base of the neck where it enters
the ground is a straight line of 32 inches.
From the top of the head to the junction of the lower jaw with the
neck is 18 inches.
The stone is some 3 inches thick, and is surrounded by a circle of
small stones measuring 20 feet on its outer circumference.
As will be seen from the measurements given below, Caisteal Con
a Bhacain is much the largest of the four. The walls have been built
on a mound of earth which is 12 feet high on the south, merging
into the hillside on the north.
Castle No. 3 is a quarter of a mile west of No. 2, just north of the
road, and is called Caisteal an Duibhne, the castle of the black man,
supposed by Mr Campbell to be King Duf (died 967). || The stones of
this castle are considerably scattered. One huge boulder (19 feet
long, 10 feet broad, and 10 feet in height above the ground) is built
into the north wall. This castle also is built on an earth mound, the
ground sloping away to the south : the mound is not so high as in
Castle No. 2.
Castle No. 4 is a quarter of a mile west of No. 3, 100 yards south
of the road, close to the river, and is known as Caisteal an Deirg,
the castle of the red man. It is situated on flat ground, and has
consequently no mound : its stones are very much scattered and the
foimdations of the walls are ill-defined.
♦ " New Statistical Account," Vol X. p. 550.
+ " The Book of Garth and Fortingall," p. 38.
X " The Book of Garth and Fortingall," p. 39.
§ 4th Ed. 1863, PP- 387-8.
II " The Book of Garth and Fortingall," p. 35.
248 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
The following measurements of the four castles are approximate,
and were made by stepping out the distances : —
CiRCUMPBRBNCII.
Imsidb Diambtbr.
Ontside. Inside.
N. to S.
B.toW.
Feet. Feet.
FeeL
Feec
Castle No. i
190 90
26i
30
» M 2
317 155
32i
55
99 99 3
250 117
35
37i
99 99 4
232 117
36
36
The measurements of the outside were taken round the outer circle
of stones, so that in the case of Castles 3 and 4, which are practically
the same size, No. 3 has a larger outside measurement, because
being built on a slope it has a mound which is included in the
measurement, whereas No. 4 being on the flat has no mound.
F. S. GOGGS.
Proceedings of the Club, 249
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB.
Thirty-fourth Meet of the Club, New Year, 1905.
Loch Awe.
The New Year's Meet of the Club was held at Loch
Awe Hotel from Friday, 30th December, to Tuesday, 2nd
January, and was attended by a large number of members
and friends. The members present were, viz. : —
John Rennie {President)^ J. H. Bell, J. W. Burns, Fraser
Campbell, W. Inglis Clark, W. Douglas, J. W. Drummond,
S. A. Gillon, F. S. Goggs, T. E. Goodeve, Howard Hill,
P. A. Hillhouse, W. P. Ker, W. R. Lester, J. H. A. M*Intyre,
J. Maclay, T. Meares, A. Moncrieff, W. A. Morrison, H. T.
Munro, W. Nelson, H. Raeburn, A. E. Robertson, E. B.
Robertson, A. W. Russell, George Sang, C. W. Walker, H.
Walker— 28 in all.
Unfortunately we have again to record that the weather
was not all that could be desired. On Saturday the atmo-
spheric conditions were more akin to October than to mid-
winter. There was no frost in the air, the sky was hidden
by dull grey clouds, and the hillsides were entirely bare of
snow. Only those peaks above 3,000 feet carried any signs
of winter, and this showed in the boulders being thinly
covered with verglass and hoar frost.
On Saturday no rain actually fell, but the day was sun-
less and dreary, and the views not extensive.
Many expeditions were carried out, one party scaling
the north face of Stob Dearg of Cruachan from Glen Noe.
The Black Shoot of Beinn Eunaich was climbed by an-
other, and some fine climbing was done on the cliff of Stob
Garbh from Coire Creachainn. Ben Bhuidhe was also
visited as well as Beinn Eunaich and Beinn a' Chochuill,
and the highest peak of Cruachan, in the ordinary way,
by others.
On Sunday it rained most of the day, and the soft sleet
which fell at higher levels made the going there very
treacherous. The snow, balling freely on the hobnailers,
gave no hold on the grass-covered slopes, and many spills
250 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
were recorded, but notwithstanding the unpleasant condi-
tions a number of expeditions were successfully carried out
On Monday the weather was, in the forenoon at least,
a little better ; but shortly after mid-day the rain b^;an
again, and there were more clothes to dry in the evening.
However, many hills were bagged, including Beinn nan
Aighean on the other side of Glen Kinglass.
If the conditions outside were the reverse of festive, the
same did not hold good for the evening hours spent indoors,
where the fun and jollity waxed fast and furious, and the
games of fives and curling on the billiard table went on
without ceasing.
The lantern shows were also much enjoyed. The Rev.
A. E. Robertson showed a number of beautiful pictures of
Ben Cruachan and of the neighbouring mountains, and
Messrs Clark, Douglas, and Raeburn told of their respective
summer holidays in the Alps.
Proceedings of the Club, 251
Thirty-fifth Meet of the Club, Easter 1905.
Sligachan.
The Easter Meet of the Club was divided, being held
at Sligachan and Kingshouse, from Thursday, 20th April,
to Tuesday, 25th April. The members present at Sligachan
were: — J. Rennie (President), D. S. Campbell, W. Inglis
Clark, W. Douglas, T. E. Goodeve, W. Lamond Howie, W.
N. Ling, R. Macdonald, J. H. A. M'Intyre, D. Mackenzie.
A. E. Maylard, T. Meares, H. T. Munro, J. A. Parker,
H. Raeburn, W. C. Slingsby, G. A. Solly, F. C. Squance,
Harry Walker. Guests : — J. J. Brigg, W. A. Brigg, Eric
Greenwood, Erik UUen, and C. Clark.
We have great pleasure in being able to record a
distinct improvement in the weather conditions as com-
pared with our previous visit to the Isle of Sunshine and
*Mist; for although there was plenty of mist there was
plenty of sunshine as well, and the wind, though keen and
cold, did not blow on both sides of the hills at once, and
permitted many difficult expeditions to be carried out with
pleasure and comfort. On the northern sides of the hills
the rocks were covered with fog crystals, and the corries
carried a considerable quantity of snow, while on the
southern faces the rocks were black, dry, and easy to climb.
The journey to Skye was made under ideal weather con-
ditions, and the Hon. Secretary's other arrangements for
our comfort were worthy of the weather.
On Friday the President led a party over the western
ridge of Sgiirr nan Gillean ; Mr Raeburn led a party up the
east face of the Castles ; Mr Parker made a traverse of
Clach Glas and Blaven ; while another party went over
Bruach na Frithe.
On Saturday most of these expeditions were repeated,
and Mr Raeburn traversed Garsbheinn, Sgdrr nan Eag,
Sgiirr Dubh na Dabheinn, Alaisdair-Dubh Gap, Tearlach,
Alaisdair, Sgumain, on his way from Camasunary to Glen
Brittle.
252 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JourncU.
On Sunday the best expeditions were over Banachdich
and Ghreadaidh by one party, while another made an
ascent of Blaven by a new ridge.
On Monday most of the climbs were done in the Sg^rr
nan Gillean group.
KiNGSHOUSE.
Weather cold but practically dry, wind keen but
moderate in force, and clear views with occasional clouds,
formed a good foundation for a successful Meet. A gather-
ing of fifteen, packed tightly into an unpretentious but
most comfortable inn, and a general family-party air, sug-
gested rather the early Meets of the Club than the big
gatherings of recent years, not altogether to the disadvan-
tage of the small party.
The following were present : — Burns, Grove, Gall IngHs,
Maclay, Moore, Naismith, Morrison, Nelson, Newbigging,
Rohde, and Gilbert Thomson — members; and J.K. H. Inglis,
W. G. Macalister, A. S. Macharg, and James A. Mackenzie
— ^guests. The first detachment, consisting of all except
the Glasgow men, travelled with the Sligachan party on
Thursday morning as far as Bridge of Orchy, then drove
along the Kingshouse road till they could conveniently
strike up over Meall a Bhuiridh and Clachlet. The bulk
of the Glasgow men came up by the afternoon train, and
while some shared the driving accommodation with the
luggage, the others walked. Macalister and Mackenzie did
not arrive till the following evening.
On Friday, Buchaille Etive was climbed by four parties.
Maclay, Rohde, and Macharg went up the Crowberry
Ridge, turning the sensational traverse by going into the
gully on the right. It was only on their return that they
discovered that they had been on the ledge from which
this traverse starts. Burns, Morrison, and Newbigging
ascended the northern buttress, starting from the Crowberry
Gully at a conspicuous snow patch (shown in the illustra-
tion facing p. 313, Vol. VII. of the Journal)^ then up a
shallow depression above a well-marked rectangular recess
Proceedings of the Club, 253
and on to the arfite of the narrow gully, which they followed
till they reached the broad ledge which traverses the face.
Naismith and Thomson ascended the same buttress, nearer
the Great Gully. This buttress admits of many variations,
holds and hitches being plentiful, although the rocks are
steep. The Great Gully was ascended by Grove, Moore,
and Nelson, who found some difficulties in the condition of
the pitches, and at places a close adherence to the rocks on
the left was desirable. Three of the parties met on the
top, and at the instigation of Naismith and Thomson, who
wished to complete a climb begun fifteen years before, a
number walked right on to the south end of the ridge.
On Saturday, Burns, Grove, Macalister, Mackenzie,
Moore, Morrison, Nelson, and Newbigging drove to within
half-a-mile of Clachaig, climbed the west end of Aonach
Eagach to Sg6r nam Fiannaidh, and returned along the
ridge. It was a scramble of about four miles, the rope
being used for about three-quarters of the distance. On
the summit of Meall Dearg, the card recording the ascent
by which Robertson completed his bag of Munros, was
found in a corked champagne bottle — otherwise empty.
Maclay and Rohde, accompanied this time by Naismith
and Thomson (Macharg having had to leave), repeated
their ascent of the Crowberry Ridge, but a fall of snow
put an end to all thought of the traverse. The climb in
any case is considerably stiffer than the north buttress, the
rocks being exceedingly steep. The party descended by a
mixed route, and had some fairly stiff scrambling on a
ridge east of the Curved one.
On Sunday, a party of eight walked over to Dalness, in
response to a very kind invitation to lunch with Mrs Stuart.
The number would have been larger, but it was as large as
Mrs Stuart had been led to expect, and the others had a
natural (though as it turned out quite unnecessary) hesita-
tion about adding to it. The extreme heartiness of the
welcome, and the numerous pictures, heirlooms, and relics
which the visitors saw, made this one of the most interest-
ing events of the Meet. On the same day a further climb
was made on the north buttress by Burns, Macalister,
Morrison, and Newbigging, who kept on this occasion as
254 ^'^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
much as possible to the left. They reported an interesting
chimney marked by a huge balanced block, leading up
from the prominent ledge above referred to.
Rohde left on Sunday afternoon, and on Monday the
rest left for the afternoon train — eight over the peaks and
five by road. These last had to travel on the " ride and
run " system, a dogcart being the only driving accommoda-
tion after the luggage had been provided for. Maclay led
a party of six up the conspicuous clean-cut snow^ gully
facing Kingshouse, and running up to Stob Glas Choire.
Library and Club-Room. 255
LIBRARY AND CLUB-ROOM.
There are not many gifts from members to record, and
the contributions from Mr Adam Smail and Mr D. Sime
are therefore the more welcome. The Club are fortunate
in having outside its ranks such well-wishers for its success
in a literary direction, and desire to return Messrs Smail
and Sime their heartiest thanks.
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
The Statistical Account of Scotland, drawn up from
the Communications of the Ministers of the
different Parishes by Sir John Sinclair. 21 vols.
A most valuable publication, in which Sir John
records that he had united " the labours of above
nine hundred individuals in one work " - - Purchased.
The New Statistical Account of Scotland by the
Ministers of the respective Parishes, under the
Superintendence of a Committee. 15 vols.
(1834-45) - "
The Misty Isle of Skye. J. A. MaccuUoch. (1905) „
An Economical History of the Hebrides and High-
lands of Scotland. John Walker, D.D. 2 vols.
(1808)
Observations made in a Journey through the Western
Counties of Scotland in the Autumn of 1792.
Robert Heron. 2 vols. (1793) - - - „
Memoirs of the Geological Survey. The Geology
of West Central Skye with Soay. C. T. Clougb
and A. Harker Board of Education.
The Scottish Tourist. 9th Edition. (1845) * - Adam Smail.
History of West Calder, by a Native. (1885) -
A Nook in the Apennines. Leader Scott. (1881) -
The Alpine Guide. Part 2. The Central Alps.
John Ball. (1876)
The Alpine Guide. Part 3. The Eastern Alps.
John Ball (1879)
Marra/s Handbook for N. Wales. (1861)
8 Murray's Handbooks and 2 Baedeker's Guides of
various European Countries ....
Ascent to the Summit of Mont Blanc, 16-18 Septem-
ber 1834. Martin Barry, M.D. - - - Wm. Douglas.
Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Ed by Francis
H. Groome. 6 vols. (1891 Census) - - Purchased.
256 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
Purchased.
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Art Rambles in the Highlands and Islands of Scot-
land. John T. Reid. (1878) .... Purchased.
Rucksack Club. 2nd Annual Report. (Nov. 1904) Rucksack Club.
Place-Names of Ross and Cromarty. W. J. Watson.
(1904)
[Barrow, John.] Expeditions on the Glaciers : in-
cluding an Ascent of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa,
Col du Geant, and Mont Budt. pp. 122. (Lon-
don, 1864) D. Sime, per
Adam SmaiL
Robertson, James. An Alpine Pilgrimage in 1875.
For Private Circulation, (Kilmarnock, 1876) -
Talfourd, T. N. Recollections of a First Visit to the
Alps. For Private Circulation, (London, 184 1)
Wherry, Geo. Alpine Notes and the Climbing Foot.
Cr. 8vo. (Cambridge, 1896) - . . -
Vingt-quatre Heures au Mont St Michel, pp. 106.
i2mo. (N.D.)
Hugo, Victor. The Rhine, to which is added a
Guide for Tourists. (London, 1853) -
Ellis, Mrs. Summer and Winter in the Pyrenees.
Post 8vo. (London, 1841)
Massie, J. W. A Summer Ramble in Belgium, Ger-
many, and Switzerland. Post 8vo. (London,
1845)
Hall, Fanny W. Rambles in Europe. 2 vols. Cr.
Svo. (New York, 1838)
Ruffini, G. A Quiet Nook in the Jura. Cr. 8vo.
(Ed. 1867)
Jennings, Louis J. Rambles among the Hills in the
Peak of Derbyshire. Post 8vo. (London, 1880)
Perry, Alex. W. Welsh Mountaineering : a Practi-
cal Guide to the Mountains in Wales. Fcap 8vo.
(London, 1896)
Howell, James. Instructions for Forreine Travell,
1642. Arbet^s English Reprints, pp. 88. (Lon-
don, 1869)
Davy, Sir Humphry. Consolations in Travel.
5th Edition. Fcap 8vo. (London, 185 1)-
Old Roads and New Roads. Reading for Travellers.
Fcap Svo, pp. 112. (London, 1852) -
Loudon, Mrs. Facts from the World of Nature.
Fcap 8vo. (London, 1848) ....
Marr, John E. The Scientific Study of Scenery.
Cr. 8vo. (London, 1900)
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Library and Club-Room, 257
By whom presented
(when not purchased).
Scott, Robert H. Weather Charts and Storm Warn-
ings. Cr. 8vo. (London, 1876) - - - D. Sime, per
Adam Smail.
Lytteil, Wm. Landmarks of Scottish Life and Lan-
guage. Post 8vo. (Edin., 1877)
(One half of this book is devoted to Arran.)
" Christopher North " : a Memoir of John Wilson,
by his Daughter. Post 8vo. (Edin., 1879)
Ben Nevis Meteorological Observatory : an Account
of its Foundation and Work. 8vo. pp. 40.
(Edin., 1885)
Nicol, Prof. James. The Geology and Scenery of
the North of Scotland. Fcap8vo. pp.96. (Edin.,
1866)
Cuthbert Bede (Rev. E. Bradley). Glencreggan, or
a Highland Home in Cantire. 2 vols. Post 8vo.
(London, 1861)
Ferguson, Malcolm. A Tour through the Highlands
of Perthshire. Cr. 8vo. (Glasgow, 1870)
Our Western Hills, by a Glasgow Pedestrian [Rev.
Mr Brown of Kirkintilloch]. 1 2mo. (Glasgow,
1892)
Macdonald, Hugh. Rambles Round Glasgow.
Fcap 8vo. (Glasgow, 1854) - - - -
Hutchison, Wm. Flying Shots. Fcap 8vo. (Edin.,
1852)
Giles, Arthur. Across Western Waves and Home
in a Royal Capital. i2mo. (London, 1898) -
Gilbert, Wm., ed, Edinburgh in the Nineteenth
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Geikie, Prof. Arch. The Geology of Edinburgh and
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White, Mary S. L. Beauties and Antiquities of
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(Edin., 1869)
Fyfe, W. W. Summer Life on Land and Water at
South Queensferry. Fcap 8vo. (Edin., 1852) -
Henderson, John A. Annals of Lower Deeside.
35 vols. Cr. 8vo. (Aberdeen, 1892)
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S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
-•♦•-
THE SADDLE AiND SGURR NA SGINE.
(Division III. Group IX.)
Lat. 57" 8' to sf lo'; W. Lon. 5° 25'. Ordnance
Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 15.
The Saddle [Gaelic, An DioUaid] (3,317 feet). Lies 3^ miles south of
Shiel Inn, head of Loch Duich.
The Saddle, west top (3,196 feet). Lies ^ mile west by south of main
peak.
Sgurr na Creige (3,082 feet) = the peak of the rock. Lies | mile west
by south of main peak. Locally known as Bidean an Dhonuill
Bhreac.
Sgurr Leac nan Each (3,013 feet) = the peak of the flat rock of horses.
Lies i^ mile west of main peak.
Sgurr na Korean (3,100 feet ap.)=the little forked peak. Lies ^ mile
east of main peak.
Top, i mile north of Saddle (3,000 cont.) — locally known as Sgurr nid
na lolaire (peak of the eagle's nest).
Fraochag (3,000 cont.) = the little heather one. Lies i mile north-east
of Sgurr na Sgine.
Sgurr na Sgine (3,098 feet) = the knife peak, so-called from its sharp-
ness ; pron. Scoor na Skeen-ek,
The Saddle is distinctly the most sporting hill in the
Loch Duich district, and its fine wedge-shaped peak as
seen from any of the surrounding mountains at once
attracts the eye and compels admiration.
As is the case with most of our Highland hills, its
southern sides are for the most part smooth in outline and
easily accessible from any point ; but its two main northern
corries — the Coire Uaine and the Coire Caol — are steep and
rough, especially the former, and both rock and snow climbs
could undoubtedly be found there.
The Saddle and Sgurr na Sgine. 259
The most direct way of scaling the Saddle from Shiel
Inn is to take the track by the AUt Undalain till the burn
forks, go straight up the steep spur facing you, enclosed by
the AUt a' Choir Uaine on the west and the Allt a' Choir
Chaoil on the east ; after about 1,200 feet of pretty steep
work the slope will be found to ease off; higher up the
ridge becomes well-defined and in places even narrow, but
the climbing is nowhere really difficult, and a final pull up
of about 100 feet over easy rock, lands one on the peaked
and rocky summit.
The view is most varied and extensive. Westwards
there is the Atlantic with all that glorious combination of
hill and sea and loch, which is ever the characteristic
feature of any view from the summit of a high hill on the
west coast ; while on the landward side the eye travels over
a sea of mountain and moor steeped in purple wonder
away to the Cairngorms in the east and to Ben Cruachan
in the south.
In descending there are a choice of routes. One may
go in a westerly direction over Sgurr na Creige and Sgurr
Leac nan Each, and then down the ridge over Sgurr a'
Gharg Gharaidh and so back to Shiel Inn ; or one may
travel in an easterly direction by Sgurr na Forcan to the
Bealach Coire Mhilagain, from which Sgurr na Sgfine can
be easily reached, descending to Shiel Inn either by the
Bealach Duibh Leac or by the Allt a* Choire Chaoil.
Shiel Inn is of course the best place to stay at when
exploring these parts. It may be reached by steamer from
Oban or Glasgow to Glenelg, thence walk or hire or
cycle over the Mam Ratagain Pass, or the mail-cart which
runs daily from Strome Ferry may be utilised. Shiel Inn
can also be approached from Glen Moriston or Tomdown,
but the road distances on this side are longer.
A. £. R«
26o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
SGURR A' MHAORAICH (SGURR A'
MHORAIRE).
(Division III. Group X.)
Lat. 57° 6' ; W. Lon. 5° 20'. Ordnance Survey
Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced
Ordnance Map, Sheet 15.
Sgurr a* Mhaoraich (3,365 feet), pron. Scoor-a-Voo-rick^ih^ peak of
the shell-fish ; so-called because of the fossil shells which are said
to be found on it \N,B, — This mountain appears on all the old
O.S. maps as Sgurr a' Mhoraire, but in the new six-inch O.S. map
and on the new 4 miles to the inch map it is written as above.]
Sgurr a' Mhaoraich Beag (3,101 feet), \ mile west by north of main
peak.
Am Bathaiche (3,000 cont.) ; pron. Baa-iche=^\^t, sanctuary, \ mile
N.N.E. of the main peak.
This fine hill stands at the extreme east end of Loch
Hourn ; its south-east sides sloping into Loch Quoich. It
forms a striking object as one sails up into the upper
reaches of Loch Hourn, its great bulky mass crowned by a
fine peak seeming to block up the whole eastern horizon.
It can be most easily ascended from Quoich Bridge, ten
miles west by road from Tomdown Inn, a good shooting-
path from that point running up to Bac nan Ceannaichean
(2,111 feet) = the ridge of the pedlars, so-called because two
pedlars are buried near here who had been murdered in a
bothy hard by. From this point a fine ridge walk leads
over Sgurr Coire nan Eiricheallach to the summit of Sgurr
a' Mhaoraich. The view westwards which bursts upon the
sight as one steps on to the summit, with the long narrow
ragged trench of Loch Hourn, 3,300 feet below, gleaming
like silver in the afternoon sun, will never be forgotten by
any one who has the good fortune to see it.
An easy ridge from the main top runs northwards to
Am Bathaiche, a top overlooking Glen Quoich ; further to
the north-west the ridge ends at A' Ghurr Thionail (the
sheep-gathering point), from which an easy descent can be
made to the Bealach Duibh Leac, and so to Shiel Inn.
Sgurr a* Mhaoraich lies remote from any place of public
Gleaurach and Spidean Mialach, 261
resort, and probably the best way therefore is to tackle it
en route from one point to another ; ^^., starting from
Tomdown Inn, drive or cycle to Quoich Bridge, climb
Sgurr a' Mhaoraich, descending on Kinloch Hourn (where
accommodation may sometimes be had in the non-shooting
season), or walk northwards and descend on Glen Shiel by
the Bealach Duibh Leac, or vice versa.
No climbs have been described on it.
Mr Rennie's " Diary of a Week's Ridge Walking,"
S.M.CJ., Vol. IL, p. 291, will be found most interesting and
useful to those exploring this region. A. E. R.
GLEOURACH AND SPIDEAN MIALACH.
(Division III. Group XI.)
Lat. 57° 6'; W. Lon. 5" 14'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance
Map, Sheet 15.
Gleourach (3,395 feet), pron. Glow-rack^ from the Gaelic Gleadhraich,
a noisy or rattling place.
Gleourach, east top (3,291 feet), \ mile east of Gleourach.
Spidean Mialach (3,268 feet), 2 miles east by south of Gleourach.
Gleourach and Spidean Mialach lie on the north side of
Loch Quoich in the heart of the Glen Quoich deer forest.
They are not characterised by anything remarkable either
in shape or form, and there are no rock faces of any magni-
tude on them, their green grassy corries affording splendid
shelter and pasturage for the deer, and they do not on that
account for more than one reason hold out any special
attractions to the climber ; but the view on a fine day from
their tops of the wild and desolate country all around will
always reward the hill-walker for his toil.
They can be easily ascended from almost any point
Tomdown Inn in Glengarry is the nearest hotel, past which
a good road runs from Invergarry to Loch Hourn.
A. £. R.
XLVII. C
262 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
CLUNIE FOREST.
(Division III. Group XI I.)
Lat 57** 8' ; W. Lon. 5** 9' to 5** 21'. Ordnance Survey
Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced
Ordnance Survey, Sheet 15.
1. Creag a* Mhkim, pron. Creag d Vaim^the breast rock (3,102 feet),
the easternmost of the group, 2^ miles south-south-east of Clunie
Inn. It has a cairn with a stick.
2. Druim Sionnach, pron. Dru-im SAunnacA=ihe foxes' ridge (3,222
feet), I mile north-west of No. i. Small cairn. Both name and
height are from the six-inch Ordnance Map^ the one-inch map giving
no name^ and only a ^fioo feet contour.
3. Aondch air Chrith, pron. Unach air Chree= the steep of trembling,
i.e. the shaking precipice (3,342 feet), 2^ miles west by north of
No. I. Cairn with stick.
4. Maol Cheann-dearg, pron. Mel chen djerak (accent on the
Cheann)=the bald red head (3,214 feet), 1} miles west by north
of No. 3. Very small cairn. The name on the Ordnance Map is
applied^ possibly correctly^ to this peak and No. 3 jointly^ but as
the latter has a separate name, Maol Cheann-dearg may well be
applied to this.
5. Sgilrr Coire na Feinne, pron. Scoor Coire na Fdy-neh—ihe peak of
the corrie of the Fingalians (2,938 feet),* i^ miles north-west of
No. 4. No cairn.
6. Sgurr an Doire Leathain, pron. Scoor an dorra Uh-an^^ihe peak
of the broad thicket (3,272 feet), ij miles north-west of No. 4.
Cairn and stick. Both name and height from six-inch map. 3,000
contour only on one-inch map.
7. Sgurr an Lochain = the peak of the loch (3,282 feet), ij miles east-
south-east of No. 9. No cairn.
8. Sgjirr Beag=the small peak (2,295 feet),* i mile east of No. 9. No
cairn.
9. Creag nan Damh, pron. Creag nan Daff=the stag rock (3,102 feet).
i\ miles south-south-west of site of Battle in Glen Shiel. No
cairn.
The watershed of Scotland is at the summit of the road
between Glen Shiel and Glen Clunie, as the upper portion
of Glen Moriston above Loch Clunie is called. To the
south, and parallel to these glens, the group under notice
* These heights are by Dr Heddle, see Vol. V. p. 105.
Clunie Forest 263
extends from Creag a' Mhaim, its eastern summit, in a
west-north-west direction to Creag nan Damh, its western,
a distance of nearly eight miles in a straight line. In all,
it numbers nine summits, seven of them exceeding 3,000
feet in altitude, and these seven are so distinct and well-
defined that they may fairly be considered separate moun-
tains. The two easternmost are situated wholly in the
tongue of Ross-shire, which here extends into Inverness-
shire. The remainder of the group are on the march between
the two counties. The small burns flowing north from the
four westmost fall into the river Shiel and so into Loch
Duich, while from the remainder they find their way to
Loch Clunie and the river Moriston. The south-flowing
bums from the two eastern summits flow through Loch
Loyne to the Moriston ; those from the rest of the group
drain in to Glen Quoich and through Loch Quoich into the
Garry.
The eastern summits can be approached from the ex-
cellent inn at Tomdown by a rough and hilly but drivable
road, and the western can be easily reached from Shiel Inn
on Loch Duich. Far the best centre from which to attack
this range, however, as well as those of Sgiirr nan Con-
bhairean (Conavern), and Tigh Mor, A' Chralaig * (Cralec),
and MuUach Fraoch Choire,t Ciste Dubh, Sgiirr a* Bhea-
laich Dheirg, and possibly also Beinn Fhada (Attow),
and the mountains to the north of West Glen Affric, is
Clunie Inn.J This inn, though much improved of late years,
and quite comfortable, has only three guests' bedrooms,
and in spring-time is often occupied by anglers. By
road it is twenty-one miles from Invergarry Hotel, but
the so-called Invergarry Station is at the southern end of
Loch Oich, and about four miles from the hotel, or twenty-
five from Clunie. Moreover, the last ten and a half miles
* This mountain on the old O.S. maps is called Garbh-Leac, but
on the new revised O.S. maps it appears correctly as above.
t This mountain on the old O.S. is called Sgurr nan Ceathramhan,
which was a clerical error, this name being confused with Sgurr nan
Ceathreamhnan at the head of Glen Affric just north of Altbeath.
Mullach Fraoch Choire, however, is its correct and original name.
X The new issue of the Ordnance maps spell this name Cluanie.
264 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
from Tomdown Inn are very rough, and involve an ascent
of 900 feet and a descent of 700. The distance from Inver-
moriston Pier on Loch Ness is about the same, nearly
twenty-five miles, and the road is fair, with a very gradual
rise all the way. From Clunie to Shiel Inn is under twelve
miles, an easy rise of 150 feet to the watershed in two
miles, and then a steep descent of nearly 900 feet A post
goes twice a week from Shielhouse, Glenshiel, on Loch
Duich, to Clunie on Mondays and Thursdays.
The inn, situated two and a half miles west of Loch
Clunie, and 728 feet above sea level, is over-towered by an
array of Alpine peaks which, in the opinion of the writer,
gives it a position unsurpassed, if not unequalled, for
grandeur by any other hotel in Scotland. Whilst the
situation of Aviemore may be compared with that of Berne,
Banavie with Interlaken, and Sligachan with Zermatt,
Clunie will represent La Grave in Dauphin^. In front of
its windows, which unfortunately face north, the extremely
graceful rocky peak of Ciste Dubh (3,218 feet) is seen at
the head of a narrow glen ; to the left, and so close that it
appears to overshadow the inn, is the rough shoulder of
Cam Fuaralach (3,241 feet) ; to the right, its big cairn
showing scarcely tw6 miles away, the whole of the massive
south-west face of A' Chralaig * (3,673 feet) is seen from base
to summit But it is to the Maol Cheann-dearg range on
the south side of the valley that the palm must be given,
and a more graceful panorama of mountain tops, rocky
faces, and wild corries it would be difficult to conceive.
Facing north, they hold large snow-fields far into the summer ;
indeed, when seen by the writer towards the end of May,
with an almost tropical sun scorching down into the valley,
it required a very small stretch of imagination to believe
that the mountains were 10,000 feet high, and the snow-
fields glaciers — an illusion which was assisted by several
genuine, though small, bergschrunds which were distinctly
seen from the valley.
Though the distance looks formidable on the map. or
indeed from Clunie or the mountains on the north side of
* This mountain on the old O.S. maps is called Garbh-Leac, but
on the new revised O.S. maps it appears correctly as above.
Clunie Forest, 265
the glen, the whole range can be easily negotiated in a
moderate day, especially with a little artificial aid. The
best plan is to drive to the site of the battle of 17 19 in
Glen Shiel, Sj miles from Clunie, at the point 399 feet
above sea level, where the road crosses from the north to
the south side of the river. From here strike up through
grassy knolls for Creag nan Damh (3,012 feet). The
ascent should not take more than an hour and a half
About five hours, exclusive of halts, will be required for the
walk from here along the summit ridge to Creag a' Mh^im,
involving as it does some 3,400 feet of ascent, and it should
be remembered that no water wiil be met with. The whole
range has generally a gentle slope to the south, but to the
north are many fine cliffs and corries which would no
doubt furnish any amount of rock and snow climbing.
Probably the best will be got on the fine rocks of the
northern corrie between Maol Cheann-dearg and Aonich
air Chrith. As far as is known none has yet been
attempted. Creag nan Damh is a well-isolated peak ; the
Bealach Duibh Leac (2,400 feet) to the west is a used pass
from Glen Shiel to Glen Quoich, while the col to the east
is only 2,250 feet (about). Sgiirr Beag (2,925 feet) is the next
summit. Col, 2,650 feet (about). Then Sgdrr an Lochain
(3,282 feet). This is from all points of view a beautiful
cone-shaped hill, one o*' the finest hills of the range, the
north-east corrie enclosing the little lochan from which the
mountain is named being very grand. The next col is about
2,900 feet. The summit of Sgiirr an Doire Leathain (3,272
feet), which is flat, lies somewhat north of the main ridge.
The col beyond is about 2,720 feet. On the next top, Sgiirr
Coire na Feinne (2,938 feet), the sheep fence which runs
along the summit ridge all the way from Creag nan Damh,
and would be useful in misty weather, comes to an end.
From here there is only a drop of some 80 feet, and then a
steady rise to Maol Cheann-dearg (3,214 feet). The next
portion of the ridge between this and Aonach air Chrith is
the narrowest of the whole range, but it nowhere presents
the least difficulty, though, as previously stated, it has some
very fine cliffs to the north of it. After a little intermediate
top of about 3,000 feet it drops at the col to 2,775 feet
266 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
(about). Aon^ch air Chrith (3,342 feet) is the highest of
the range. From it there is a fine ridge extending north-
north-east, which rises to a pretty little top. This might
afford some scrambling, but probably of no great difficulty.
The next col is about 2,900 feet, then a small nameless top
of about 3,060 feet, another drop of 120 feet, and a rise to
Drum Sionnach (3,222 feet), a flat round-topped hill. There
is not much dip between this and Creag a' Mhkim (3,102
feet), the last and easternmost of the range, which, however, is
a full mile away. From here Clunie will easily be reached
in one and a half hours via the Tomdown road.
The most striking feature of the view is the magnificent
appearance of the Saddle immediately to the west, without
doubt one of the finest mountains on the mainland oi
Scotland.
The range is composed of schists, and fine specimens
of black mica (Hangtonite) are to be found in its central
portions. H. T. M.
SGURR FHUARAN.
(Sgurr Ouran.)
(Division III. Group XIIL).
Lat 57" 10^' to 57° 13^'; W. Lon. 5° 19' to 5* 24'.
Ordnance Survey Map, one-inch scale. Sheet 72. Bar-
tholomew's Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 20.
1. Sgurr an t-Scarraich (Scoor an t-yerrtch)=iosAs^ peak (1,887 feet), a
rugged little peak at the entrance of Glen Shiel.
2. Sgurr na Moraich {Scoor na Morrach)=\it3^i of the saltings (2,870
feet), a bold conical peak at head of Loch Duich connected with
next peak by col (2,428 feet).
3. Sgurr nan Saighead {Scoor na 5ViV/)=peak of arrows (2,987 feet), a
triple-headed and rather narrow ridge with deep precipitous corries
on the north-east. Col, 2,713 feet.
4. Sgurr Fhuaran {Scoor Ooran)=^^a^i of springs (3,505 feet), culmi-
nating peak of the group, with a steep cliff on the north-east and
a rather sharp arete on the west, well seen from Shielhouse Inn.
Col, 2,856 feet.
OF
Sgurr Fhuaran, 267
5. Sgurr na Camach {Scoorna Cafin^ir^)= peak of cairns (3,270 feet), a
rocky cone. Col, 2,783 feet
6. Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe {Scoorna Kisty Z?^z/i)= peak of the black
chest, a fine rough peak with craggy faces on the north side, at
head of Choire Dhomhain (Corre Z?^i>i)= deep corrie, facing Glen
Lichd. It is followed by a rugged and rather narrow ridge on
which are
7. Sgurr na Spain teach {Scoor na 5]^a»/«a^^) = Spaniards' peak (3,129
feet), called after a pass in the ridge over which the Spaniards
marched to join the Highland forces before the battle of Glen
Shiel, 1 7 19.
8. Sgurr an Fuar-thoU {Scoor an Oort'H)=peak of the cold hole (2,937
feet). The range terminates at the Bealach an Lapan (2,371 feet).
The name given to the range of mountains, of which
Sgurr Fhuaran is chief, is Beinn Mhor (big mountain), in
contrast to Beinn Fhada, Ben Attow (long mountain). The
mountains stand at the head of Loch Duich, and extend
along the north side of Glen Shiel and the south side of Glen
Lichd for about six miles, though they might really be said
to stretch as far as Clunie at the head of Glen Moriston ;
but for the purposes of the Guide-Book, they will be taken
as terminating about one mile beyond the falls in Glen
Shiel. These peaks are grand objects in the different
views of Loch Duich, their principal fault being that they
are perhaps too stiff and symmetrical in outline. But there
is a stateliness and grandeur which, added to the fact that
they show their full height above the sea, amply makes
amends for any faults in the direction of stiffness of form.
Sgurr Fhuaran itself commands grand views in all directions
of the Cuillins and other Skye ranges, Applecross, Torridon,
Loch Carron, Monar, Glen Affric, Knoydart mountains and
Ben Nevis. There are some fine corries on the north-east
side of the range — notably Coire na h-Uaighe {Corrie na
hooagh\ on the Glen Lichd side of Sgurr na Saighead, and
a grand slabby face of the same peak facing east. There
is also a vast steep slope on Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe {Scoor
na Kisty Dovi) over Glen Shiel below the falls — the Ciste
Duibhe in fact, that gives its name to the peak.
Centres, — Shielhouse Inn is by far the best centre.
Glenelg Hotel, Balmacarra Hotel, and Clunie Inn at head
of Glen Moriston may also be used. Best route by steamer
268 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
from Oban to Glenelg, then walk or hire ten miles to Shiel
— over Mam Ratag^n — grand view. Train route to Stroma
Ferry, thence by daily mail cart to Shielhouse.
Usual Route, — Nos. i, 2, 3 omitted. Cross bridge near
Shiel Hotel, and follow the north bank of the river past
Loch Shiel for about one and a quarter miles. Very wet
and rough in places. Strike straight up west arete of No. 4.
First part is steepest. At top there is usually a small pool of
water, hence the name. There is a choice of return routes.
Either is interesting. Shortest, turn north-west and cross
Nos. 3 and 2, reaching the shore of Loch Duich about one
and a quarter miles from the inn. Another, turn north-
west till col (2,713 feet) between Nos. 4 and 3 is reached,
then strike down steep slopes into Glen Lichd ; follow the
burn descending from the corrie at back of No. 4. About
half-way down is a very curious and interesting spot called
Ciste Duich- Nachchest, one of three of the same name in
the district, and not to be confounded with the crags in
Glen ShieL It is a very narrow, dark ravine, the stream
turning at right angles with its course for a short distance,
and is best visited from below. The sides are quite sheer
and smooth and over 100 feet high. Glen Lichd is struck
about two and a half miles from head of Loch Duich.
Another route is to follow the ridge over Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8,
and make a long steep descent into Glen Shiel above the
falls. This is most interesting, and offers no difficulty
beyond being rough in places, and of course, a good deal
of up and down.
N,B, — A bridge crosses the Shiel at Achnagart at the
foot of No. 5.
Climbs, — None recorded. C. B. P.
SGURR A' BHEALAICH DHEIRG.
(Division IH. Group XIV.)
Lat. 57' 10' to 57^ if; W. Lon. t; 14' to 5" 17'.
Ordnance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bar-
tholomew's Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 1 5.
Sgurr d Bkealatch Dheirg. 269
Sgurr a* Bhealaich Dheirg (3,378 feet), pron. Scoor a Veallich yerrik^
the peak of the red pass. Lies on the north side of the top of
Glen Shiel, 3 miles north-west from Cluanie Inn.
Saileag (3,124 feet) = the little heel. Lies i mile west from Sgurr a
Bhealaich Dheirg.
Aonach Meadhoin (3,284 feet), pron. Unach mee-an= the middle
lump. Lies i mile east from Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg.
Cam Fuaralach (3,241 feet) = the cairn of the cold place. Lies ^ mile
north-east from Aonach Meadhoin.
Ciste Dhubh (3,218 feet) = the black chest. Lies 3J miles north by
west of Cluanie Inn.
This group of hills lie on the north side of the upper
east end of Glen Shiel, having the Sgurr Fhuaran group on
the west and A' Chralaig and his big neighbours on the
east. Their southern sides are smooth and grassy, and
can be easily ascended anywhere, but their northern corries
are rougher and more rocky. The highest peak — Sgiirr a'
Bhealaich Dheirg — has a very picturesque and finely situated
summit. Like the Drochaid Ghlas on Ben Cruachan, the
summit is set back about fifty yards oflF the main ridge on
the narrow saddle which juts out in a north-east direction,
so that in mist one might easily go wrong unless this is
taken into account. This summit overlooks the Glas Coire,
which is a very steep and rough corrie, and which would
probably be found to yield some climbs were it only a little
more accessible.
Carn Fuaralach commands a fine view of Glen Shiel
and Glen Moriston.
The Ciste Dhubh is a shapely little peak, with a very
steep eastern face, the rocks on which, though not very
high — about 200 feet — ^yet are steep, and might quite readily
yield some sport
These hills are best climbed from Cluanie Inn (Gaelic
cluan, a meadow), which is close beside them ; it has but
limited accommodation, and is very plain, but is quite
comfortable. A. E. R.
270 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
THE A' CHRALAIG GROUP.
(Division III. Group XV.)
Lat. $f ii'; W. Lon. 5" 9'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheets 15 and 20.
A' Chralaig (3,673 feet), pron. A Chraa'ltJb=ihe circular place. [JV^.
— This mountain on the old O.S. maps is called Garbh-Leac, but
on the new revised O.S. maps it appears correctly as above.] Lies
2^ miles north-east of Cluanie Inn.
Coire Odhar (3,295 feet), pron. Cotr-our =the dun-coloured cony.
Lies I mile north of A' Chralaig.
MuUach Fraoch Choire (3,614 feet) = the top of the heather corry.
Lies li miles north of A' Chralaig. [JV.B. — This mountain on the
old O.S. maps is called Sgurr nan Ceathramhan, which was a
clerical error, this name being confused with the Sgurr nan
Ceathreamhnan at the head of Glen AfFric, just north of Altbeath.
MuUach Fraoch Choire, however, is its correct and original name.]
A' Chioch (3,000 cont.) = the pap. Lies i^ miles north-east of
A' Chralaig.
Sgurr nan Conbhairean (3,634 feet), pron. Scoor nan Con-i-ver-cat^
the peak of the dog men, ix, attendants of hunters. Lies 2^ miles
north of Loch Clunie.
Tigh Mor (3,285 feet), pron. Tie il/<?r=the big house. Lies i mile
north of Sgurr nan Conbhairean.
Tigh Mor, second top (3,222 feet, 3,276 feet on six-inch map). Lies
\ mile north of first top.
Tigh Mor, third top (3,045 feet). Lies \ mile north-north-east of
second top.
Sail Chaoriunn (3,000 cont.), pron. SaL Choorin=t\i^ heel of the
rowans. Lies i mile south-west of Tigh Mor.
Drochaid an Tuill Easaich (3,250 cont.), pron. Droch-itch an tool
Ee-as-ich^ the bridge of the hollow abounding in waterfalls. Lies
^ mile south-west of Sgurr nan Conbhairean.
Creag a Chaoriunn (3,260 feet) = the peak of the rowans. Lies ^ mile
south-east of Sgurr nan Conbhairean.
Cam Ghluasaid (3,140 feet), pron. Cam Glou-as-itch^ihe cam of
moving from its screes. Lies 2 miles south-east of Sgurr nan
Conbhairean.
This very imposing group of hills lies on the north side
of Loch Clunie at the upper west end of Glen Moriston.
They include some very high tops, three of them being over
The A* Ckralaig Group, 271
3,600 feet. Generally speaking they may be described as
high rolling uplands, rising here and there into graceful
domes or peaks. Their western and southern slopes are
smooth and rounded, their east and north sides are steeper ;
but even there, there are no rock faces of any magnitude.
Owing, however, to their height and central position, they
carry a lot of snow, and they may accordingly be counted
on to yield splendid high-level snow walks and climbs.
In height and in general appearance they are to this
district what the Cairngorms are to Speyside, and they
form together with the Mam Sodhail group on the other
side of Glen Affric what may be termed the Ross-shire
Cairngorms.
No one who has travelled by road from Tomdown up
that long weary five-mile brae can forget the sight that
these hills present when he reaches the Bealach before
descending to Clunie. Despite the fact that the road has
been ascending for miles, reaching a height at the summit
of the pass of 1,424 feet, these giants seem to tower up
into the sky on the other side of the glen, giving an im-
pression of massive and isolated grandeur and height that
is quite unique.
And the views from their summits are most extensive.
Lying as they are on the outskirts of south-eastern Ross-
shire, there is no higher ground between them and the
Cairngorms in the east and the Ben Nevis range in the
south. Thus the eye ranges over a vast tract of country
to the east and south. I have distinctly made out on more
than one occasion, Ben Lawers, Ben Lui, Cruachan, Bidean
nan Bian, from the summits of A' Chralaig and Sgurr nan
Conbhairean.
The highest peak of the range. A' Chralaig (Garbh Leac)
is easily ascended from Cluanie Inn. From the summit a
fine ridge runs north over Coire Odhair (3,295 feet) to
Mullach Fraoch Choire (3,614 feet) — designated on the old
O.S. maps, Sgurr nan Ceathramhan. This ridge at one
part is broken up into several sharp pinnacles which may
be made to afford some sport. They can be turned on the
west side if necessary. Mullach Fraoch Choire has a fairly
good east face, and at Easter time steep snow slopes broken
272 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
up by rough ribs of rock stretch down from its summit
ridge to the Uisge na Garbh-lice.
From the summit of A'Chralaig the ground slopes away
gently to the Bealach Coir a' Chait (2,300 feet), a pass and
right-of-way from Loch Clunie to Loch Affric ; it then rises
easily, yet withal roughly, but not steeply, over the Dro-
chaid an Tuill Easaich to Sgurr nan Conbhairean (3,634
feet) ; from here a fine high-level walk north leads over
Tigh Mor into Glen Affric, or by taking a south-east
course over Carn Ghluasaid an easy descent can be
effected anywhere into Glen Moriston.
It may be remarked that these hills have some very
interesting associations with Prince Charlie, and that he
made what is probably the first recorded ascent of either
A' Chralaig or Sgurr nan Conbhairean ! The two caves of
the famous " Glen Moriston Men," the eight faithful caterans
who fed and sheltered the Prince after Culloden for over a
week, are situated in the eastern corries of Tigh Mor and
Sgurr nan Conbhairean. One of them is still pointed out
in Coire Doe ; the other, the site of which is now lost, was
in Coire Mheadhoin. On 23rd July 1746, the Prince, with
one or two of his followers, arrived " at a hillside above
Strath Clunie, there they spent the day covering the Prince
with heather to keep off the midges. Starting in the after-
noon they travelled about a mile further on, and then
steered their course northward, and mounting up a high
hill, betwixt the braes of Glen Moriston and Strathglass,
came late at night to the very top of it, and being very
dark, they were obliged to lodge there all night. Being
wet to the skin, and having no fuel to make a fire, the only
method he had of warming himself was smoking a pipe.
Next day they joined the Glen Moriston men in Coire Doe,
where the Prince was lodged in a cave with the finest
purling stream that could be, running by his bedside within
the cave, as comfortably lodged as if he had been in a royal
palace." *
It may be mentioned in conclusion that the whole range
is now cleared of sheep, and under deer. A. E. R.
* Vide " The Lyon in Mourning" ; also W. B. Blaikie's " Itinerary,"
Scottish Historical Society Publications, No. 23.
A* Ghlas Bheinn, 273
A' GHLAS BHEINN.
(Division HI. Group XVI.)
Lat. 57° 1 5 J'; Lon. 5° 18'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheet 20.
A' Ghlas Bheinn (3,cx)6 feet) = grey mountain.
This hill stands at the head of the strath formed by the
waters flowing into the head of Loch Duich at its north-east
comer. It forms an agreeable variation on the walk to
the Falls of Glomach, either going or returning from Shiel
Inn.
Shiel Inn (comfortable) is the best place to stay at.
Usual Route, — Follow the road to Dorusduain Lodge.
When the lodge is reached, cross the stream, descending
from the Bealach na Sroine, and ascend the steep green
slopes behind the lodge. These are deeply cut into by
ravines. When at about 2,500 feet, a small plateau is
crossed, and a final climb leads to top, which commands
fine views of Beinn Fhada, Loch Duich, &c. To descend to
the Falls of Glomach, bear along the ridge, north-east and
then north till the top of the Bealach na Sroine is reached
and path to Glomach struck.
C/wi^j.— None recorded. C. B. P.
BEINN FHADA.
(Ben Attow.)
(Division III. Group XVII.)
Lat 57° 13J'; Lon. 5** 16'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale. Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, 20.
Beinn Fhada (3,383 feet) = long mountain.
This well-known hill, usually called Ben Attow, which
rises east of Loch Duich and at the west end of Glen
AffHc, well deserves its name of " Long Mountain," it being
274 '^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
nearly seven miles from end to end. It has strongly
marked character, the west end being very rugged and
divided by deep precipitous corries into narrow ridges,
while the centre mass and highest point is a large
almost flat plateau, which towards the east again narrows
somewhat.
1. Sgurr a' Choire Gharbh (about 2,800 feet) == peak of the rough corrie.
This is the rough peak seen from Loch Duich, which is divided by
the deep semicircular nick of Bealach an t-Sealgaire ('* the hunter's
pass ") from
2. Ceum na h-Aon Choise (3,000 feet contour) = step for one foot. A
sharp ridge leading to
3. Plaide Mhor (3,383 feet) = big flat. The highest summit. This sends
a buttress northwards called
4. Meall a* Bhealaich^^heap of the pass. It rises steeply over the
Bealach an Sgairne, which is the usual route from Kintail to
Beauly via Glen Affric.
5. Sgurr a' Dubh Dhoire (3,000 feet contour) = peak of the black wood.
A peak at the west end over Glen Affric.
Shiel Hotel (comfortable) is the best place to stay at
for Beinn Fhada, but the vigorous pedestrian can take
it en route from Invercannich, or walkers stopping at
Glenelg or Balmacarra may reach it by hiring.
Usual Route. — From Shiel Inn follow the road to
Dourisduain Lodge at the head of the north-east arm of
Loch Duich. When two miles or so from the inn, and
just before reaching Morvich, turn off the road and pass
that house; then cross the river Croe (difficult or im-
possible after rain), and pass Innis a' Chro; then strike
up slopes of Beinn Bhuidhe (yellow mountain), as this
end of Beinn Fhada is called. Having reached the height
of about 1,250 feet, bear somewhat south of east, avoiding
the rough ridge of Faradh Nighean Fhearchair (ladder
of Farquhar's daughters), and after a rough walk, reach top
of No. I. From this point a rugged ridge leads across Bealach
an t-Sealgaire to No. 2. Here the ridge is sharp for some
distance, and the views of Gleann Lichd below on the south,
backed by the peaks of Sgurr Fhuaran, &c., magnificent
when the ridge terminates. A walk over the plateau leads
to No. 3. By descending from this point north-west, the path
' — *-he Bealach na Sgairne may be reached at a point
Sgurr nan Ceatkreamhnan, 275
at the head of Gleann Choinneachain, and Loch Dutch
regained at Dorusduain.
Climbs, — None recorded.
The corries on the north-east side of the peaks i and 2
are grandly precipitous, and ought to be good climbing.
C. B. P.
[Early this month — April 1905 — I climbed Beinn
Fhada. From Meall a' Bhealaich the very fine ridge
extending north, and forming the western wall of the
corrie mentioned in the last paragraph of Mr Phillip's
article, is well seen. A magnificent chimney, very narrow
and apparently almost perpendicular, runs right up to the
actual summit of the northmost top of the ridge, />., the
top seen to the right of the accompanying photograph.
This should probably yield a splendid climb. A careful
aneroid measurement gave the height of Ceum na h-Aon
Choise, which has only a .3,000 contour on the map, as
approximately 3,160 feet. H. T. MUNRO.]
SGURR NAN CEATHREAMHNAN.
(Division III. Group XVIII.)
Lat. 57° 15'; Lon. 5° 14'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale. Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, 20.
Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan (3,771 feet) = peak of the quarters (pron«
Kyer-anan).
This is a large block of mountain, standing at the head
of Glens Affric and Cannich, and east of the Glomach water.
Owing to its height and position, it commands grand views
in all directions, Mam Sodhail and Sgurr na Lapaich
being its only superiors in height, north of the Caledonian
Canal.
276 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
1. Creag Ghlas (2,750 feet) = grey rock. A conical hill standing east
of Falls of Glomach.
2. Stuc Beag (3,250 feet) = little peak ; and
3. Stuc Mhor (about 3,400 feet) = big peak. Summits on the north
ridge of the mountain.
4. Creag nan Clachan Geala (3,282 feet) = rock of the white stones.
The north-western buttress.
5. Sgurr Gaorsaic (about 2,600 feet) On the east side Loch a'
Bhealaich, the head of the Glomach waters.
6. West peak (3,736 feet).
7. Highest point (3,771 feet).
8. Creag a' Choir Aird=rock of the high corrie. This long ridge
projects to the north-east of the highest point. Its height is
doubtful, but 3,188 feet is the greatest height given on the
Ordnance Survey six-inch.
9. An Socach (3,017 feet) = the snout. This summit connects Sgurr
nan Ceathreamhnan with the Mam Sodhail group.
Shiel Hotel or Balmacarra Hotel are the nearest houses
of call, but are both some distance off. They are both
comfortable.
Usual Route. — From Shiel Hotel, follow the road to
Dorusduain Lodge, then branch up Gleann Choinneachain
and through the Bealach na Sgairne to Loch a* Bhealaich.
This is the ordinary route to Invercannich via Glen
Affric. Pass the head of the loch, and strike up No. 5.
There is a sharp dip of about 500 feet. Then ascend slopes in
a nearly easterly direction for three-quarter mile, and finally
nearly north to No. 6, the top, seen from the road on the
west side of Loch Duich. A dip of 100 feet leads to the
sharp top No. 7. In descending, follow ridge south-east
for half a mile, then continue south into Glen Affric, striking
the junction of the rivers Greanain and Fionn, about one
mile above Alltbeath. It makes a pleasant change of
route on the return to follow up Gleann Fionn, and cross
the watershed into Gleann Lichd, passing the magnificent
scenery of the AUt Granda, and striking the Dorusduain
road at Morvich, about two and a half miles from Shiel.
Climbs. — None recorded.
This mountain is of the same character as most of the
hills in this part of Scotland, having deep corries, more or
less precipitous, but the cliffs are not massive enough to
prove very effective rock climbs. C. B. P.
Mam SodhaiL 277
MAM SODHAIL.
(Division III. Group XIX.)
Lat if \f\ W. Lon. 5** 7'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 72. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheet 20.
Top of Coire Coulavie (3,508), i mile south-west of Mam SodhaiL
Ciste Dhubh (3,606), \ mile south-west of Mam SodhaiL
Mam Sodhail {Mam Souly 3,862), 2^ miles north-west of Loch
Affile =: the barn-shaped hilL
Saoiter Mor (3,500 cont), i mile south-east of Mam SodhaiL
Carn Eige (3,877), \ mile north of Mam Sodhail.
Top between Mam Sodhail and Sgurr nan Lapaich (3,262).
Sgurr na Lapaich (3,401), 2i miles E.S.E. of Mam SodhaiL
Top of Coire Lochan (3,006).
Beinn Fhionnlaidh (3,294), pron. Ben 67a=Findlay's peak, li miles
north by west of Cam Eige.
Creag na h-Eige (3,753), i mile N.N.E. of Carn Eige.
Sron Garbh (3,500)= the rough nose, \\ miles east of Cam Eige.
An Leth-Chreag (3,443), \ mile W.S.W. of Tom a' Choinich.
Tom a' Choinich Beag (3,450).
Tom a' Choinich (3,646), 2| miles E.N.E. of Cam Eige.
Top north of the Allt Toll Easa (3,149^ i\ miles W.S.W. of Tuill
Creagach.
Tuill Creagach (3,452), i^ miles south of Loch MuUardoch.
Carn Eige and Mam Sodhail, on the borders of central
Inverness-shire and Ross-shire, are the two highest hills
north of the Caledonian Canal. They lie in a very inacces-
sible situation. By this it is not meant that there is any
difficulty in their actual ascent. In point of fact, on their
heathery slopes and moss-covered uplands one could
almost ride a pony to their highest points. Their inacces-
sibility consists in their distance from any place of public
resort When it is stated that they are some 18 miles from
Shiel Inn on the west side, and the same from Glen Affric
Hotel on the east, the truth of this will be easily seen.
Perhaps the most comprehensive way of doing this
range, as well as the best way of viewing it in its most
characteristic aspects, is to begin work at the eastern spur,
XLVII. D
278 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
Tuill Creagach (3452 feet), walking from thence in a
westerly direction to Tom a' Choinich (3,646 feet), then
along a very fine but quite easy ridge to Cam Eige. This
ridge never descends below 3,100 feet, and presents no
difficulty. It is a mere walk, though in some places the
going is somewhat rough and stony. It is flanked on either
side by great corries, but there are no rock faces of any
moment among them. Carn Eige (3,877 feet) is the
highest hill in Ross-shire and thirteenth in order of altitude
in Scotland in Munro's Tables. It is a great stony mound
with a steep broken-up face to the north down to the Coire
Lochan.
An easy descent southwards of some 600 feet over moss
and stones leads to the broad saddle-shaped bealach, and a
steep pull up lands one on the summit of Mam Sodhail
(3,862 feet). The cairn on the summit is no mean thing,
being one of the largest the writer has ever seen on a Scotch
hill. It has in its centre a large cup-shaped depression into
which one can get, and, sheltered from the wind, take an all-
round view in comfort. And, as may well be imagined,
the view from Mam Sodhail on a clear day is, owing to its
height and central situation, very wide and extensive. The
Cairngorms, the Ben a' Ghlos, Ben Alder, Ben Lawers,
Beinn Creachan, the Mamore Hills, Ben Nevis, Bidean
nam Bian, the Ardgour Hills, Knoydart and Kintail, the
Coolins, South Uist, the Teallachs, Suilven, and the other
Sutherlandshire giants may be mentioned as showing the
range and distance of the panorama from this point on a
clear day.
Another way of doing the range is to start from Glen
Affi*ic at Affric Lodge. A good path takes one well up
on to Sgurr na Lapaich (3,401 feet). From this top a fine
ridge walk leads to the summit of Mam Sodhail. There is
also a very good path right up Coire Leachavie almost to
the summit, which can be utilised either in ascending or
descending. Another well-made track — a right-of-way —
runs between Glen Affric and Glen Cannich up the Coire
Ghaidheil and down the Gleann a Choilich, which may also
be found useful in exploring this region.
The Glen Affric (Temperance) Hotel is most comfort-
Sgurr na Lapaick. 279
able. An excellent driving road goes to Affric Lodge.
The road stops here, but a well-made path runs right west
along the north side of Loch Affric to Altbeath and Comban.
There is also a fair driving road up Glen Cannich as far as
Ben Ula Lodge at the west end of Loch Mullardoch. From
here a track runs west to Glen Elchaig in Kintail ; but just
about the bealach the track is very faint and cannot be
greatly counted on. From the lodge a path has been made
southwards up to the bealach between Tom a' Choinich and
Tuill Creagach, which makes these hills quite easy of access
from the lodge.
The whole ground is under deer. A. E. R.
[On Tuesdays a cart capable of taking a bicycle and
luggage, but not passengers, is sent up from the Glen Affric
Hotel, Cannich (no licence), to Beinn Fhionnlaidh Lodge,
close to Luib nan damh, at the west end of Loch Mullar-
doch in Glen Cannich. The same cart on Thursdays goes
up to Glen Affric Lodge. H. T. MUNRO.]
SGURR NA LAPAICH.
(Division IIL Group XX.)
Lat 57° 21' to 57' 22 J' ; W. Lon. 4** 59' to s'' 10'. Ord-
nance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 82. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 20.
Sgurr na Lapaich, 3,773 feet, and An Riabhachan, 3,696 feet.
Sgurr na Lapaich is the highest peak of the long range
of mountains, dividing Glens Strathfarrar and Cannich, and
terminating at the head of Glen Elchaig on .the west. An
Riabhachan adjoins it, and is the highest mountain entirely
in Ross-shire. The range has all the usual characteristics
of the mountains rising in the centre of the country, deep
corries, with tarns lying in them, and are everywhere more
or less rugged ; but though higher as a rule, they are sur-
passed by the peaks of the west coast in rugged grandeur.
The summits command fine views in all directions of the
28o The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Torridon, Loch Carron, Monar, Glen Affric, and Kintail
hills.
1. Creag Dhubh (3,102 feet) = black rock.
2. Cam nan Gobhar (3,251 feet) = goats' hill. West of No. i.
3^ Rudha na Spreidhe (about 3,320 feet). A small sharp peak on the
side of
4. Sgurr na Lapaich (3,773 feet). A fine peak, especially when seen
from the east and south. It throws out a ridge to the south on
which are
5. Sgurr nan Clachan Geala (about 3,450 feet) = peak of the white
stones.
6. Creag a' Chaoruinn (about 3,000 feet) = rock of the rowans.
7. Braigh a* Choire Bhig (3,303 feet) = brae of the little corrie. Two
deep corries with tarns are on the east slope of these last three
peaks. No. 4 is divided by a deep corrie and bealach on the
west — Toll an Lochan and Bealach Toll an Lochan — ^from
8. An Riabhachan (3,696 feet) = the brindled hill. A long range with
several tops, the furthest west being 3,406 feet. It is divided from
9. An Socach (3,503 feet) = the snout, by a col (2,828 feet).
There is a very comfortable Temperance Hotel at Can-
nich — the Glen Affric Hotel ; and there has recently been
opened a small hotel (licensed) at Struy Bridge.
Usual Route (Nos. i, 2, 5, 6, and 7 omitted). — From
Beauly, hire twenty-six miles to Broulin Lodge in Glen
Strathfarrar, a good quarter mile beyond which a bridge
crosses the river to the keeper's house at Inchvuilt ; hence
follow path up Gleann Innis for one and a half miles,
then cross stream to north bank, continue up glen for three
miles beyond this point, then recross stream, and turning
due south, attack slopes of No. 4. No. 3 is first reached,
and after a slight dip a final climb to peak ; leaving No. 4
descend sharply south-west to col (about 2,650), and ascend
by a narrowish ridge to summit of No. 8. It is in most
cases a long enough day if No. 9 is omitted. Descend from
cairn north-west to boggy col dividing No. 8 from An
Cruachan to Beinn Bheag, cross bealach dividing last-named
hills, and descend to the moorland at the head of Loch
Tachdaidh, the stream from which flows into Loch Monar ;
cross very high wire fence and climb in about three-quarters
of a mile to path to Dronag Lodge passing Loch Calavie.
Sgurr na Lapaich. 281
A good path has just recently been constructed from Pait
Lodge to Glen Elchaig, which may be utilised when ex-
ploring this district From lodge there is a short cut over
the hills in seven miles to Strath Carron Station, or in
twelve miles by driving road, very steep and rough. Grand
views of Applecross and Torridon Mountains from top of
road, especially if seen in evening light C. B. P.
EXCURSIONS.
The Editor will be glad to receive brief notices of any wOemorthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles^ but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no difficulty in imparting information
in the other form,
BEN BHUIDHE AND BEINN NAN AIGHEAN.
Dear Mr Editor, — May I take the liberty of giving you a very
brief account of two expeditions which I carried out from Loch Awe
during the last New Year Meet. The two hills I have named excited
no interest in any one else, and so I had to go alone. In both an ice
axe was useless, except as a rather dangerous dumb-bell. To get to the
first hill on Saturday I lefl for Dalmally by 6.54 a.m. train, and after
twelve minutes or so east along the railway to get clear of enclosures,
struck out S.S.E., reached the frozen mosses west of Beinn Bhalgairean
in such good time that when I plunged into Glen Shira from the top
of Ben Bhreac, it was just 9.15 at the crossing of the bum, there 1,100
feet in altitude. The way up was unmistakable, and at 10.15 1 1^^^^
the cairn. The last 700 feet were hard frozen, and owing to cold wind
it was impossible to stay for more than fifteen minutes to enjoy a
splendid view, which showed up Ben More and Stobinian, Ben
Cruachan, peeps of the Lowlands, fine panoramic effect of Brander
Pass, Mull, and towards invisible Jura, and a complete explanation of
the Glenfalloch and Arrochar groups. A leisurely stroll via "Sron
Mor" and Duncan Ban's monument brought me home at about 3
P.M. From Loch Awe Hotel Ben Bhuidhe is best reached by boat,
thence via the Monument and the farm of Blarchaorainn. Monday's
expedition caused one continually to wonder, " Why did I wander
forth without my cloak.*' As everybody knows, it was a terrific day of
wind and rain, and noticeably worse north of Glen Kinglass. There
is quite a good path from Glen Strae, given by the Ordnance Survey*
between Ben Lurachan (right) and Meall Copagach (left). The col is
slightly over 2,000 feet high. From there the way is plain. I left the
hotel 8.15, reached the col a few minutes before 10, forded the Kinglass
10.30, touched the cairn 11.45. There appeared no reason for staying
there, and about twenty valid reaspns for leaving at once. I did so,
and was battered home by the elements by 2.50.
Stair A. Gillon.
Excursions. 283
Meall Bhuiridh. — On Monday, 2nd January, Morrison, A. E.
Robertson, and Goodeve started off at 7.30 a.m. to do a climb on the
cliffs of Ben Vourie. The route at starting was along the old quarry
track as far as the footbridge. At that point the stream to the left
was followed for about half a mile or so. A big bluff of rock stands
out well on the hillside, and to the left of it a short length of cliff.
Starting in order from the bluff, there are three gullies, one deep one
next the bluff, the other two being smaller. Calling them i, 2, and 3
in rotation from the bluff, a start was made with No. 3, but as it was
found to be quite easy, it was decided to go on to No. 2.
The first pitch was wet and looked bad, especially near the top, as
the angle was very steep. While Morrison, who was the leader, was
negotiating the lower part, the others kept on a small ledge to the
right to keep out of the way of falling stones. A little more than half-
way up the first pitch is a small caldron in the centre of the water-
course, in which there is just room for two to stand. This proved
most useful, as the leader got a rest, and the second man could come
up to that point where he had to give the leader a couple of footholds
with an ice axe. The first pitch took fifty-five minutes to negotiate, then
came an easy bit of grass to the foot of the second pitch, which is a
good deal harder. The route starts up a narrow chimney, which is
delightfully easy for about fifteen feet or so. After that point comes
a somewhat sensational traverse to the right, with an awkward bit of
rock to get round at the top. Here Morrison found it necessary to do
a good deal of gardening to find holds in the rock, the second man
remaining at the top of the chimney. This pitch took one and a
quarter hours. Then came a short easy grassy bit, and another short
pitch at the top where the leader stood on the second man's shoulders.
This is believed to be a new climb, and the way Morrison led up was
worthy of admiration, as it is by no means easy. After a cairn was
built at the summit, the party descended to the hotel, well satisfied
with their day's work. T. E. G.
Boot Nails. — Messrs H. T. Sims & Co., 14 Market Street, Leeds,
send samples of nails for climbing boots, and they look quite as good
as those made in Switzerland. They say : —
" We are sending you a small sample of the Alpine clinkers, and
hobbs, which are already selling to a number of well-known moun-
taineers and makers of Alpine foot-wear.
" They are made from best charcoal iron, and have an advantage
(I am informed by a gentleman who has tested both) over the conti-
nental makes in being softer and less likely to get smooth and slippery.
But some of your friends may already have used the same make of
goods, and would no doubt corroborate the facts in favour of their use.
Messrs Lugton & Son, Bespoke Bootmakers, of 95 Princes Street,
284 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
Edinburgh, are using these clinkers and hobbs in the boots they make
for Alpine wear, and we can give the names of other makers in London
and other places who would be able to supply them. We also send
them direct to any address on receipt of remittance. Hoping you will
be able to recommend these goods to your friends. — Yours faithfully,
" H. T. Sims & Co,"
THE SCOTTISH
fiSionnUinzzxiVi^ Club Snumal
Vol. VIII. September 1905. No. 48.
SCOTTISH SNOW.
By Harold Raeburn.
Among the epoch-marking papers which have been written
for this journal, the adtnirable article by Mr Naismith on
" Snowcraft in Scotland " occupies an important place.
This paper was published in the number for January 1893.
Since that date twelve years have elapsed, the number
is now long out of print, and possibly some new members
have not had an opportunity of reading it. In any case
sufficient time has passed to render it interesting and useful
to sum up the results obtained from the lessons and maxims
therein contained, and at the same time to summarise the
twelve years' extended experience of the members of the
Club, of snow work and snowy conditions to be found
scattered throughout the articles and notes published in
the Journal,
The present writer must first acknowledge his great
indebtedness to the paper referred to. It was, along with
Dr Claude Wilson's capital little book, " Mountaineering,"
All England Series, his first introduction to the fascinating
cult of the ice-axe and its use among the snowy alps of our
" ain countree." Mr Naismith in his paper did not adopt
the apologetic tone visible in the Badminton volume on
Mountaineering, and even in that of Dr Claude Wilson
with regard to this country as a possible school for real
Alpine climbing. He boldly claimed for British winter
XLVIII. A
286 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
climbing that it approached in many respects to good
summer work in the Alps. The present writer goes further,
and considers that winter mountaineering in Scotland is in
many respects a better training and a more strenuous sport
than most of the ordinary Swiss work, where one plods
behind a guide up a well-known route by what is often a
plainly marked track. Here we can still find unknown
ground and new routes, and exercise our exploring faculties
— by far the most important part of mountaineering — for
ourselves.
It is true that here we have no glaciers, and the fasci-
nating ploy of threading the mazes of the icefall and
crevasses, and dodging the tottering pinnacles of the
threatening seracs is here wholly unknown, but the ever-
varying condition of the snow on slopes, on rocks, and in
the gullies, provides plenty of exercise for study and skill
in overcoming the difficulties and avoiding the dangers
otherwise involved in the ascent or descent.
After the publication of Naismith's paper, several letters
on points raised therein appeared in the pages of the Journal
One of these was the origin of the great spike v, pick con-
troversy that raged for some time after. With the views
expressed by Naismith the present writer is in entire
sympathy, possibly from his conviction that balance is the
fundamental secret of good, />., safe climbing, whether on
ice or rocks.
Naismith maintains that in crossing a piece of "unmiti-
gated ice, where it is preferable to prevent a slip than hope
to check it after it has occurred, it is better to hold the axe
as if in glissading, and dig the spike firmly into the ice
about the level of the thigh." Here it is quite obvious that
the lesson intended to be conveyed to the novice on ice —
and on rocks the same holds good though to a less extent
— is the necessity for safety of balancing out
It is somewhat the same principle as applies to the
outside edge in skating. It is quite obvious that if a
crouching-in attitude is assumed — and this is undoubtedly
to be encouraged by the use of the pick — then the pressure
on the feet will not only be lessened, but that pressure will
tend to take an outward direction. The danger of a slip
Scottish Snow. 287
IS thus greatly increased. This i$ a by-the-way, however,
and deals with conditions rarely if ever met with in Scotland,
or for that matter on average climbs in the Alps.
Before going on to give a summary of S.M.C. experience
of Scottish snow under the various headings of Angles,
Aretes, Avalanches, &c., I should like to say a few words
about the dangers of snow conditions on steep ground, and
the way to avoid them.
I may state at once that this is not written for the
expert, nor do I desire for a moment to pose as a dogmatic
authority on the subject, but there are now a considerable
number of young climbers who " go to the mountains in
the snow," and who often do not know what can and what
cannot be attempted with safety on the snow-clad face, or
in the snowy and icy gully. Some of these climbers, as
Owen Jones remarked, "had no nerves," and made him
" shudder." The occasion was when a novice friend calmly
proposed that Jones and he should proceed to glissade
down a steep-angled gully (Cust's, Great End), clad with
icy snow, in the Lakes.
The terrible "accident" of Easter 1903, by which a
glissader of such a gully lost his life in the same district,
shows the necessity of caution in dealing with such places.
Though there are no records of fatal accidents through
the breaking away of cornices in this country, still we have
heard rumours of narrow escapes due to this cause. To
attempt the ascent of an avalanche -grooved gully, known
to be overhung by huge cornices, on a warm, muggy
mid-day in late spring is not an advisable proceeding,
and in fact is directly contrary to the canons of good
mountaineering.
It may often happen, in winter, that the gully we are
ascending becomes the gathering and stream-bed, as it
were, for a perfect cataract of hail or snow, blown into it
from the cliffs or plateaux above, but this is quite different
from the case mentioned, and though perhaps unpleasant is
not at all dangerous, though it may render step-making or
cutting excessively laborious.
There is one condition, not very common maybe, that
renders almost any steep Scottish mountain difficult and
288 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
even dangerous to an inexpert or ice-axeless party, and it
was probably this condition that caused the fatal accident
to an ice-axeless tourist on Ben More ten or a dozen
years ago. It is brought about thus. After a spell of wet
weather comes a sharp frost, rendering the turf and earth
as hard almost as rock ; then comes a slight fall of snow, a
partial thaw immediately after, followed by hard frost
again, with a final powdering of loose snow. Even the
ascent of an easy angle becomes under these circumstances
difficult, and if the angle is steep the climb becomes well-
nigh impossible. This brings us naturally to the main
object of this paper, the collection of the combined experi-
ence of the whole Club, and we shall first see how it answers
the question of what we mean by a steep angle.
Angle, — In collecting information on this and other
points, I have carefully examined and read every article
and note published in the pages of the Journal since its
commencement. Averaging all the recorded angles of
snow slopes, on faces and in gullies, after rejecting several
obviously exaggerated, brings out the figure of 47**. This,
I think, we can therefore look upon as the average angle
of a steep snow slope. This angle would probably be
estimated by an inexperienced party, without a clinometer,
at 57° or 60°. I do not think snow will stay long on any
extent of slope at an angle exceeding SS°' Under a
cornice, or in a narrow chimney, the case is different, and
any angle up to 90° may be found, but only for a few feet.*
♦ In an interesting article in the y4««i/a/r^ of the French Alpine
Club for 1901, " L' Arete Nord-Ouest de la Grande Casse," by M. Henri
Mettrier, this question of snow — and ice — angles is discussed at some
length. Comparing the great 800-metre ice-slope on the north face
of the Grande Casse with the much shorter but, as he considers,
steeper slope above the bergschrund on the Ecrins, M. Mettrier gives
52° — estimated — for the former as against 62° — also estimated — for the
latter. Whymper's estimate for the latter, however, is merely " more
than 50°." t My estimate for the former is about 47° to 50° ; this I con-
sider is one of the longest continuously steep ice-slopes I have seen
t Since the article was printed I have had an opportunity of measuring, with
the clinometer, the angle of the Ecrins slope above the bergschrund. It was
found to rise from 50° to an extreme of 54'', showing the accuracy of Whymper's
estimate.
Scottish Snow. 289
Arete, — At the date of Naismith's paper rock aretes
were not usually climbed in winter, which accounts for his
statement : " The writer has never succeeded in finding a
satisfactory specimen (snow ar^te) in Scotland." He cer-
tainly encountered them later (Vol. III., p. 336), as beauti-
fully sharp snow aretes are a common feature on all the
great rock ridges, such as on Aonach Beag, Ben Nevis,
Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Eagach, and notably Skye, the
Rasters of 1903 and 1905. Usually these are soft, but are
sometimes hard, as on Stob Gabhar (Vol. VI., p. 66). They
do not usually present any difficulty except when a violent
wind is blowing (Vol. VIII., p. 223), when the use of the
rope is advisable.
Avalanche, — There is frequent mention of avalanches in
the various numbers of the S.M,CJ, Naturally not very
many members of the Club have actually seen these in the
act of falling, but there are nevertheless accounts by several
climbing parties of falls seen. That large and dangerous
avalanches do often fall is patent to any one who visits the
great north-east corries of our higher mountains in late
spring. In the upper corrie of Nevis, the avalanche debris
at the beginning of June cannot be much less than 100 feet
in depth. I well recollect on the occasion of my first
ascent — in mist — of the Tower Ridge, at Easter 1896,
hearing the roar of several very large falls off the Obser-
vatory cliffs, and a couple of weeks later the gullies of
Creag Meaghaidh were quite unapproachable, constantly
swept by large falls of snow, ice, and rocks.
in the Alps. Whymper doubts if snow will remain in large masses at
an angle of over 45°, and no one will deny that his is good authority.
M. Mettrier remarks : "II n'est pas excessivement rare de voir
relat^es des inclinaisons de 60° et de 65** sur des pentes de ni^ge, mais
dies ont presque toujours la caractire (V estimations hasardUes}^ He
quotes some estimations and measurements which are instructive.
On Mont Blanc Count Tilly gives Petites Monties, 65'; Grandes
Montees, 70* ; and sees a vertical wall at the Rochers Rouges. De
Saussure found the angle in reality, at the first of these, 39'. Vallot
gives for steepest part of Arete of Bosses, 45^ Agassiz found the cast
face of Strahlegg nearly 40^ and the last slope of the Jungfrau
45° to 47'. We must agree with M. Mettrier in his closing remark :
"Assurement la question est de celles qui meritent d'etres traitees k
fond et ddfinativement elucidees."
290 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
On the Ross-shire Ben Dearg (Vol. VI., p. 159), "a
great fall, with a width of over 100 yards," was seen by one
party; Carn Dearg (Nevis), "a huge avalanche fell 1,000
feet off the buttress " (Vol. V., p. 289). A formidable fall
was seen by another party on 12th June 1904 (Vol. VIII.,
p. 180), to fall "from gully between Observatory Ridge
and North-east Buttress of Ben Nevis. Many large falls
observed on Aonach Beag, April 1904, These large and
dangerous avalanches are, of course, usually caused by the
breaking away of the cornices, but sometimes a surface layer
of the snow will suddenly peel off a face. One such instance
is given in Naismith's personal experience. Another was
that of a party of three, of which the writer formed one,
at New Year 1904. Ascending the Observatory Gully on
Nevis, the snow was found to be very hard. Higher a
layer of powdery snow, with a slight surface crust, lay on
the hard. Shortly after adopting the precaution of cutting
right through this upper snow, and making steps in the
solid underneath, and when at a good height above an
unpleasant iced wall, the whole upper surface suddenly
cracked right across the gully, here about 40 yards wide,
just above us. It did not at that time move farther, but
the precaution of cutting into the under layer was a very
necessary one, and should invariably be adopted in like cir-
cumstances,even though it involve considerably more labour.
Bergschrund, — There are of course no ice bergschrunds in
Scotland, but very colourable imitations, in snow little less
hard than ice, may be met with in May and June in the
Nevis corries and elsewhere. They exist in just such
places as we find them in the Alps, and are due to a similar
cause — where the snowfield, or glacier, slopes against the
rocks, the melting of the snow, or ice, in immediate contact
with the heated rocks. The writer has seen one (Vol. VI.,
p. 229) at least 40 feet deep, by 8 to 10 feet wide, in Nevis
Upper Corrie in June, between the snowfield and the foot
of the Observatory Buttress.*
* In Symon^s Meteorological Magazine for March 1905, a paper by
the Rev. R. P. Dansey draws attention to the permanent snow in the
Upper Corrie of Nevis. This is quoted by the Royal Scottish Geo-
graphical Magazine under the heading of " A British * Glacier.' "
Scottish Snow. 291
Cornice, — These, of great size and exquisite beauty, may
exist on any Scottish mountain possessing a steep rock
face. The size of these will vary according to the height
and aspect of the mountain and character of the snowfall
during the winter and spring.
An analysis of the occasions when figures are given in
the Journal regarding size, of course estimates only, gives
20 feet in height and 10 feet overhang as about the maximum.
It is possible that these figures may be found to be ex-
ceeded on special occasions. A cornice of the above
dimensions may, however, be considered as rendering an
ascent impossible. We have the record of two Alpine
pioneers who, on the occasion of the first ascent of the
Tower Gully on Nevis, actually burrowed through the
great cornice at the top, taking two days to the task — the
intervening night being spent at Fort-William^^but such a
feat is too heroic for most.
One of the observers at Ben Nevis Observatory, how-
ever, informed the writer that he had measured a cornice at
the head of the Observatory Gully which was 40 feet in
height.
Crevasse. — This is frequently mentioned as met with.
It is sometimes, of course, rather difficult to draw a distinc-
tion between crevasse and bergschrund. The latter, as its
name implies, should mean the large crevasse nearest the
rocks (Randkluft). References may be found to crevasses
(Vol. III., pp. 79, 102, 104; Vol. v., p. 289; Vol. VI., p.
227 ; Vol. VII., p. 207).
Glissade. — Within the letters of this word are contained
some of the most subtle and fascinating joys of the snow-
climber. Why the apparently simple and childish pastime
of sliding down snow should possess such fascinations is
difficult to explain to the unelect. Let one of those, how-
ever, be but persuaded to try it, and explanation is no
After mentioning a number of topographical facts familiar to S.M.C.
members, the paper proceeds to describe the " glacier," really nh>^^ in
the month of August 1904. '* The surface was hard and ribbed like
the n^^ of the Alps, while between the rocks and the snow at the
side it was possible to look down into the Bergschrund to a depth of
50 feet in many places."
292 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
longer asked for. He straightway joins the inner circle and
requires none. It is the same with regard to tobogganing,
and with the highest development of the glissade — skiing.
Glissades are of two kinds, sitting and standing. Of the
former variety, the attitude may vary from bolt-upright to
lying at full length, according to the angle and condition of
the snow.
The standing glissade requires more skill and balance
than the sitting. It is more comfortable as regards after
conditions of person and garments, but requires special
conditions of snow and a considerably steeper angle to
make it "go" well.
Personally speaking, I have seldom obtained any very
long standing glissades in Scotland. Perhaps the longest
was about 700 feet in Coire na Ciste of Nevis in July
1903.
In that late and snowy year, however, during a short Nor-
wegian holiday I glissaded standing an aggregate of over
10,000 feet. One does not get glissades like these in the
Alps in the ordinary climbing season. A common error of
the novice in standing glissades is to lean too heavily on
his ice-axe, which is extended behind like a third leg.
This is excessively fatiguing to the arms. More reliance
should be placed on balance and on rising on the heels
to check and regulate the pace. Given favourable angle
and snow, it is quite possible to glissade standing for
long distances without touching the snow with the ice-axe
at all. The writer has covered hundreds of feet at a
stretch in Norway in this manner, and has seen young
Norwegian ladies gliding down a steep snow slope on their
feet, with ease and grace, with nothing at all in their hands.
This, of course, is the result of long practice on ski.
The beginner at glissading ought to select easy places
at first. An easy place may be defined as a steep slope of
fairly soft snow on a face, or in a wide open gully, which is
seen, or known, to take off to an easy angle before coming
to an end. It should be remembered that the snow in a
narrow gully is in late spring usually hollowed out in the
centre by the stream below, and even if open pitches or
bergschrunds do not exist, the place where the snow roof
hi
CJliirl ThoiKSBt
Scottish Snow, 293
will be weakest will be just at the top of a steep pitch or
concealed waterfall.
In glissading down an unknown gully, if glissading is
permissible at all, it should be done only in rope lengths.
The first man drives in his ice-axe, using it as a hitch, while
the other or others slide past him, keeping good control of
course on pace. The last man, who is now first, drives in
his axe in turn, and the process is repeated. Even gullies
so steep as those on the great east face of Buchaille Etive
Mor may be safely glissaded in this manner, if the snow is
in good order and deep.
Many and varied are the methods of braking adopted
by the sitting glissader. There is no doubt that as in
standing glissades, the main control should be by the feet,
but this has often the unpleasant effect, if the pace is good,
of driving a perfect stream of snow into one's face. In using
the ice-axe as a brake, different methods are adopted. The
best, in the writer's opinion, is to grasp the shaft near the
head with one hand, the palm of this upper hand turned
up; the other hand is placed on the shaft with the palm
down.
Putting the ice-axe now behind one, with the spike
dragging through the snow, immense brake power may be
obtained by widening the space betw^een the hands, and
raising the body on the lower arm. A very bad method,
but one often adopted by beginners, is to take the ice-axe
by Its lower end, and brake with the pick, or even the blade.
This acts all right as long as braking is only a little, or
not really necessary at all. Whenever a real emergency
occurs, and it is desirable to stop suddenly, this method
fails, as the ice-axe is invariably wrenched out of the slider's
hands, and he is left helpless. If in glissading down a
steep slope or gully one finds that, owing to the avalanchy
condition of the snow, we are beginning to ride upon the
top of a large pile of snow, it is advisable to get off promptly
sideways, before the pile becomes too thick to be penetrable
by the ice-axe, and all control lost.
With regard to the length of glissades to be obtained
in Scotland, these are often better and longer than can be
obtained in the Alps in summer. The longest recorded is
294 'r^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
in Vol. VI., p. 198, when a party "estimated that they
glissaded 2,scx) feet on the descent of Ben More." Other
records are — Easter, 1895, on Nevis, 2,000 feet; Vol. III.,
p. 80, Ben Doran, 1,000 feet; Vol. II., p. 83, Ledi, 700
feet; Vol. VIII., p. 147, Aonach Mor, 1,500 feet; and
numerous instances of from 500 to 800 feet.
Ice, — Though we do not have vast accumulations of ice
in the form of glaciers, yet ice we meet with in many and
varied forms, and its presence, or absence, may often mean
the impossibility or otherwise of the climb. Ice in gullies is
usually termed an icefall, but of course that term has a quite
different meaning to what is understood by it in the Alps.
Here the gully icefall is really a frozen waterfall. This is
capable of giving grand practice and experience in ice work,
but should be attacked with discretion, and all precautions
taken to guard against a slip. Practically our first paper
showing what splendid sport could be got in the icy gully
was that by Dr Collie (Vol. III., pp. 5, 6) on winter climb-
ing on the "Screes" near Wastdale Head. Other references
are — Vol. III., p. 61, Snowdon ; Vol. IV., p. 97, Ben Achal-
lader; Vol. VI., p. 251, Ben Nevis, &c.
Iced Rocks, — Ice on rocks is termed verglas in the Alps.
This is, however, a somewhat elastic term, and is sometimes
applied to mere hoar-frost. In its worst form, clear hard
ice, it renders rock-climbing impossible. The writer has a
vivid recollection how on one occasion when in Coire na
Ciste of Nevis in November 1897, iri company with Messrs
Duncan and Brown of Aberdeen, the party were utterly
unable to do the smallest climb owing to all the rocks being
covered with this thin transparent film of hard ice. Ice on
rocks may also take the form of fog crystals. These some-
times grow to an extraordinary size, and may prove a great
difficulty in the ascent.
Very frequent references to ice on rocks occur throughout
\h(^ Journal, A few maybe noted here: — Vol. II., p. 85,
Cruachan ; Vol. III., p. 14, An Teallach ; Vol. III., p. I9»
Stuc a Chroin ; Vol. III., p. 276, Cobbler; Vol. V., p. 74.
Tarmachans ; Vol. VII., p. 115, Arran, &c. ; notably at
Easter, 1903, in the Coolins, Vol. VII., p. 280; and even
more marked in the Coolins, Easter, 1905.
Scottish Snow. 295
Ski, — No mention of Scottish snow-sport would nowa-
days be complete without inclusion of this. For a thorough
exposition of the art I must refer S.M.C. members to a
recent article (Vol. VIII., p. 157) by its most enthusiastic
devotee, Herr W. R. Rickmers. Historically, as far as the
Journal is concerned, we have very few mentions of skiing
having been tried in this country. Naismith, though he
does not refer to it in his paper, was already our pioneer in
this, as in so many other ways. In Vol. II., p. 89, he
relates his experience of the long snow skates on 12th March
1892 on the Campsie Fells. Since then we have no mention
of ski till Herr Rickmers took his party to Nevis at Easter,
1904.
Mr J. H. Wigner has also a note of an ascent of Ben
Chonzie, 12th March 1904 (Vol. VIII., p. 133). My
experience in Scotland dates back to February 1892. In
that year I brought a pair with me from Norway and
ascended several of the Pentlands, as well as the Braids,
Blackfords, &c., and crossed several of the Pentland passes.
Some of our North of England members have also used ski
in Crossfell district during the last five or six years.
As far as my own opinion is concerned, however, in
spite of what I wrote in an article at the time, I consider
ski will but seldom be used in Scotland with advantage
and enjoyment. The condition and amount of snow even on
our hills is not often likely to be suitable. On the low ground,
at any rate in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh and Glasgow,
we have many winters practically no snow. On the hills
it is usually, if not soft and sticky, hard and icy. Seldom
do we find the compact dry white powder characteristic of
the Norwegian winter snow. In exceptional frosts in
exceptional seasons, such as occur at intervals of ten years
or so, we may have opportunities of safe practice, but to
become adepts, and to enjoy this most interesting and
fascinating sport to perfection, we must visit countries less
under the influence of Atlantic mildness and moisture than
is our native land.
Step Cutting, — In this country step cutting is generally
a much easier and simpler work than in the Alps. Here,
although our slopes may be hard and steep, still they are
296 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
only snow after all, and step cutting in snow is a compara-
tively quick and easy matter. To begin with, if provided
with good nails hard snow, even at considerable angles, can
be walked up. When that becomes risky, a few large steps
at the rope's length apart, will usually be quite safe, the leader
only cutting mere toe scratches between. At his rope's limit
he cuts sufficient steps for the whole of the party to stand
in ; then driving in his axe, brings them up secured by
the hitched rope. The last man now drives in his axe, and
the process is repeated. This method is not possible in the
Alps, as severe slopes are usually ice. Every step must
therefore be equally well cut, and dependence placed on
balance alone.
In driving an ice-axe into hard snow, or turf, there is a
right and a wrong way of doing. The aim of the mountaineer
must always be, inasmuch as he never knows when his
stock of reserve strength may be required, to do everything
whether on snow or rocks, with the minimum expenditure
of force. He must utilise his own weight wherever possible,
and he must distribute exertion over as many muscles at a
time as he is able. The wrong way to drive in an ice-axe on
a steep hard snow slope, is to stand below the ice-axe, grasp
it by the middle of the shaft, and jab the snow with it. Yet
this is often done. The right way is to get above the ice-
axe, place both hands together on the head, close to the
line of the shaft, and get the weight of the body behind the
straightened arms into the shove, slightly twisting the shaft
as the spike sinks in. The reason for the twist is twofold,
it both assists the penetration and renders the withdrawal
of the axe easier when that becomes necessary.
Snow General.
While not going so far as the hero in the well-known
poem by a famous climber who complains of —
** The rocks that roughly handle us,
The peaks that will not go,
The uniformly scandalous
Condition of the snow,''
it must be acknowledged that this last in Scotland, as in
Scottish Snow. 297
the Alps, is not always ideal. What a climber wants is
snow fairly hard for the upward journey, fairly soft for the
downward. This we do not always get, but the very variety
and uncertainty are a large part of the charm of winter
mountaineering. The same climb is never the same twice
running. Its standard of difficulty may alter with astonish-
ing celerity. The time taken on one occasion may be
double that on another, but times, as all mountaineers get
to know, are of no value in estimating the climbing abilities
of a party unless conditions are also equal.
We have seen from the foregoing what a wide field our
Scottish fells present for the education of the snow climber.
For six months in the year he may there find practically
Alpine conditions. Indeed, if attempting some of our
highest north-east gullies, the ice-axe will be found indis-
pensable at any season of the^ear. If after an experience
gained here, he goes to the Alps, he will find that his
expeditions on his native hills will stand him in good stead.
His ice-axe is a familiar and trusted friend, not an uncouth
weapon, dangerous to himself and others. He will have
learned, if at all observant, a good deal about snow con-
ditions on steep slopes, only he must remember the hotter
sun and slighter adhesion of snow in the Alps. Above all
he should have learned, if he is capable of learning, the
great lesson of balance, to stand up straight and to plant
the feet firmly in the steps. He must also remember,
however, that though his conquest of the snowy gully, with
its ID or 20 foot ice pitches, is probably a more difficult and
risky bit of climbing than almost anything usually done in
the Alps, still there everything is on a much greater scale,
and endurance of long-continued exertion is much more
valuable than any other climbing qualities, except balance
and caution. Balance is the most valuable quality because
it in reality doubles at least a climber's endurance. All
three qualities spell safety on long and difficult expeditions,
and safe is the highest qualifying adjective we can bestow
upon the mountaineer.
The cultivation of cocoanut-like biceps by any of the
modern methods of muscle growing may possibly be of
some use to climbers. But man after all is not a monkey.
298 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
and if an army may be said to travel upon its stomach, the
mountaineer travels, even though the angle approach 8o^
mainly by means of his feet. It is to the education of the
feet therefore, and incidentally of course to the education
of hand and eye and brain, that mountaineers should
devote their attention. There is no better field for this
education, apart altogether from the aesthetic joys to be
obtained, than our Scottish Bens in their wintry garb of
snow.
Only a Beautiful Day on the Hills, 299
ONLY A BEAUTIFUL DAY ON THE HILLS.
By a. Ernest Mavlard.
Some few years ago I should have had little hesitation in
venturing upon the simple narrative of a ramble on the
hills. But now ! Dare I intrude with no more thrilling
description of a day's outing than the mere existence on
the tops of the mountains will afford, when earth and heaven
seemed at peace with each other, and all Nature smiled
beneath the benignant influences of a heaven-born joy?
No daring prehensile feats to excite the climber's admira-
tion ; no difficulties that occupied hours of anxious thought
and action. The bold and intrepid cragsman may there-
fore pause and spare his time ; for such a day as that with
which this simple narrative deals, appeals only to the soul
of man, and awakens sensations that tend rather to subdue
than stimulate the physical side of his nature.
The sun was shining from out an almost cloudless sky ;
the mighty billows that so often dashed with relentless
vigour upon the rock-bound coast were hushed to sleep ;
and the sea seemed to smile with joy as the sun's rays
danced gaily on its rippled surface. The outlying isles, too,
sought to lend their charm to the distant vista ; for faintly
outlined in the seascape, and enshrouded in a purplish
haze, they added to the sense of peace and repose in which
all Nature seemed to revel on that ever-memorable April
mom. It was under these soothing, yet exhilarating
conditions that two mountaineers — if indeed they could be
considered such on the present occasion — sauntered forth
from the keeper's lodge at Glen Brittle, just two days after
the official meet of the Club at SHgachan had been brought
to a conclusion.
On Tuesday, the day preceding that about which I write,
Solly and I left Sligachan for Glen Brittle. The rocks
were too deeply coated with snow to tempt us to traverse
Sgurr a Ghreadaidh, our original intention ; we therefore
simply passed over the bealach between Sgurr Thuilm and
Sgurr a Mhadaidh, and leisurely skirted the western spurs
3CX) The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
of An Diallaid and Sgurr nan Gobhar till we reached our
destination. It was a beautiful evening, and there seemed
every prospect of a good day in store for us. We slept —
or perhaps I should more truthfully say tried to sleep — at
the keeper's lodge. The good housewife did her best for
us, and it was no fault of hers that Solly's bed was a foot
too short for him, and my mattress somewhat like the tops
of the Coolins. But the discomforts of the night were soon
forgotten, when a glance out of the window revealed the
sun shining brilliantly, and hardly a breath of wind to
disturb the young leaves of the spring-clad trees.
By 9.20 we were on the tramp, with no further objective
than to enjoy ourselves, and with just that charming sense
of inertia that is felt when nothing special has to be accom-
plished. What we might ascend or might not hardly
seemed to concern us, at least at this initial stage of our
expedition. However, we made for a " shoulder," which it
did not take long to discern would lead us to the summit
of Sgurr Sgumain. No objective did I say? How de-
lightful ! just to linger and look on the beauties of Nature
as every few hundred feet of ascent revealed some new
scene, another peak peering above a ridge casting its
jagged outline against the sky. At last the summit was
reached. Was it record time? It took three and a half
hours, and surely none could take longer. What a panorama
unfolded itself before our eyes ! Could it really be the
Coolins we were on, and the Coolins we were looking at ?
No mists, no rain, no boisterous south-westerly blasts from
the ocean, and no cutting and biting winds from the north,
just a clump of white cumulus here and there sluggishly
moving in a heaven of blue. As the eye swept the horizon
every peak from Sgurr nan Gillean to Gars-bheinn was as
easily distinguishable — perhaps more so (with apologies to
the Editor!) — as on the excellent map we consulted for
our enlightenment. Our sojourn, however, was not long,
for our ambitions became fired and we now wanted to go
higher and see more if we could. Sgurr Alasdair lay not
far from us, looking as tempting as he well could on such a
day. Down, therefore, we descended to the bealach, which
connects Sgumain with Alasdair, and then commenced the
i
Only a Beautiful Day on the Hills, 301
ascent of the latter. At last came an obstacle somewhat
more formidable than any we had previously encountered.
Solly recognised the place and believed it to be known as
the " Mauvais Pas " of this particular ridge. He had
negotiated it once before, and although the conditions on
the present occasion were not altogether favourable, for the
hot sun was melting the snow above and making the rocks
most needed for hand and foot holds wet and slippery, he
still hungered to surmount the difficulty. Doubtless he
would have done so, if my hunger had not been so over-
bearing and overwhelmingly absorbing on physiological
more than on physical grounds. We therefore sat down
to lunch with our backs to the buttress and with Loch Coir
a Ghrunnda below us placidly nestling in the amphitheatre
formed by the surrounding mountains. How beautiful it
was, with the dazzling whiteness of the snow in the clear
sunlight, recalling more a day in the Alps than one on the
Scottish hills. The snow which had fallen somewhat
abundantly on preceding days had formed large fields, and
what in the summer are long and rugged slopes of scree and
broken rock, were now evenly coated with snow. It was
easy to linger here and lazily scan the many beauties of
the surrounding scenery, ever changing in sunlight and
shadow. It was easy, too, in the silence that seemed to
pervade all things to let one's thoughts ramble restfuUy on
memories that such scenes are wont to awaken. But why,
oh, why, will Solly keep looking round at that ten feet of
vertical rock that bars our progress upward ? " It over-
hangs," say I. " It's sloping in the wrong direction," again
I venture. " If I give you a shoulder you'll poke me into
eternity or at any rate into Corrie Ghrunnda." At last
I tried another tack, and suggested a seductive-looking
glissade with the ascent of Sgurr nan Eag ; and in order to
add force to my proposal and create diversion by my
absence, I started off sliding down rapidly about 300 feet,
and then commencing an easy traverse towards the bealach
between Alasdair and Sgurr Dubh na Dabheinn. There
was no sign of Solly. Should I after all see him victorious
on the top of Alasdair? Soon, however, I heard shouts
behind, and looking towards our resting-place, found he had
XLVIII. B
302 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
torn himself away from the ** Mauvais Pas " and was quickly
following in my track. When we did join, it was no small
source of satisfaction to me to learn, that instead of receiving
his imprecations for throwing up the sponge, he owned that,
considering the conditions, it was wise not to have attempted
to force a passage. As Sgurr Dubh looked more attractive
than Sgurr nan Eag, we made for it, and soon were on the
summit. So easily and so rapidly was this peak gained
that we at once decided to tackle Sgurr Dubh Mhor.
Here again we encountered nothing that could be called
difficult. Difficulties there may be and probably are in
summer, but on this propitious day snow had graciously
filled up for us many an ugly gap, and what otherwise
might have taken minutes to negotiate, was now passed
over in a few seconds.
Here we were basking in the sun on the summit of
Sgurr Dubh. We had both wanted to do the Dubhs, but
our most sanguine expectation would never have led us
to anticipate such an easy and delightful accomplishment.
We had been told that it meant a long day, and doubtless
under other conditions than those which favoured us, it
would be so. As it was, we had only taken a com-
paratively short time to pass from Sgumain to the tops of
two out of the three Dubhs. What a view point was that
summit of Sgurr Dubh Mhor ! Look north, east, south,
or west, and up there crops at each point of the compass
a series of rugged pinnacles — the summits of known peaks
or the jagged projections of unnamed ridges. Had we
been bent on making a record bag of peaks in one day,
we could easily have accomplished it. Sgurr nan Eag,
Sgurr a Coire Bheag, and Gars-Bheinn would very quickly
have succumbed to our attacks. Life, however, seemed
almost more enjoyable on its passive than on- its active
side. To loiter and look and get indelibly impressed on
the mind the lights and shades, the dazzling whiteness of
the sun-smitten snow, the many-shaped peaks and pinnacles
that broke the skyline both far and near — these it seemed
to my then sentimentally disposed nervous system dearer
and more to be enjoyed than the hours we might have
spent in attempting to negotiate that pseudo-inaccessible
Only a Beautiful Day on the Hills. 303
obstruction on Sgurr Alasdair. What were the thoughts
which occupied Solly's mind, 1 knew not. That the strings
of his heart did not altogether vibrate to the same tender
strains as mine I had some reason to believe ; not that I
wish to imply he felt no soul-stirring emotions in the sight
or contemplation of the beauties around, but occasionally
the silence was broken by some such interjection as the
following : — " The finger-tips of the right hand ought to
have got a grip on the left-hand ledge of the upper project-
ing slab, while the toes of the left foot got a hold in a notch
of the greenish bit of rock that stuck out from the over-
hanging blocks to the left of the ridge." " Exactly," said
I, "but look at those wandering shadows chasing each
other across the corrie below us. See, yonder lies Rum,
Eigg, and Canna, and there, too, are the outer Hebrides."
We at last talked of going home to tea, and the
thought, alas, fired our energies to consider the easiest and
quickest way to accomplish that end. A long Snow tra-
verse around the north side of Coir a Ghrunnda brought
us to the bealach between Sgurr Sgumain and Sgurr
Alasdair. Here we descended into Coire Labain, and
soon had all the poetry shaken out of our sentiments by
the broken rugged masses of rock over which we had to
scramble. But our joys were yet once again to be awakened
by the sight of little purple patches of Saxafraga oppositi-
/clia in full bloom. It was a pleasing contrast, this bit of
brilliant colouring set in amidst the cold grey of the
surrounding scree, and again carried our thoughts for the
moment back to the Alps. It was not long ere we reached
the moor and found ourselves rapidly approaching our
destination and our tea ! Nine and a half hours saw us
again at the keeper's cottage, and what a time it had been.
Nothing exciting to relate, no tons of rocks slipping be-
tween our legs, no hairbreadth escapes, nothing to gasp at
or tremble over, but only the simple record of a heavenly
day on the hills.
304 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
THE CROWBERRY RIDGE OF BUCHAILLE
ETIVE MOR.
By James Maclay.
If he who makes two ears of com grow where one grew
before is to be accounted a benefactor of humanity, in like
manner he who finds a route possible for twenty parties,
where before only one of them could go, may perhaps
claim to be held in esteem among climbers. The object
of this paper is, however, a humbler one than this. It is
not to describe a new route, but merely to indicate how the
grand climb which the Crowberry Ridge affords may be
enjoyed by any party of competent climbing capacity,
instead of being reserved for an occasional one of ex-
ceptional skill and boldness.
The Crowberry Ridge is undoubtedly the finest ridge
on Buchaille Etive Mor. Its precipitous south-west face
makes it a most imposing spectacle from below, and its
length and steepness make it a fascinating climb. The
Tower which forms its upper extremity was ascended by
Dr Collie's party in their well-known pioneer climb. The
Ridge itself was first attacked by Naismith and Douglas,
who, however, skirted the lower part of it on the north or
right by ascending the gully alongside, and got upon the
face of the Ridge about half way up. Then came the first
climb right up the face by Mr G. D. Abraham's party.
After careful prospecting and discovery of the route to be
described in this paper, Mr Abraham eventually succeeded
in forcing a direct route up the face by a traverse followed
by a difficult and sensational climb up smooth rocks be-
yond. This passage is described by Mr Raeburn, the
leader of the only party who have repeated this part of
the climb, as one of the most difficult climbs yet done in
Scotland. It involves certain disaster to the leader should
he slip, and is, in the opinion of the writer, at least on the
verge of the unjustifiable even for the very best climber.
It is certainly out of the question for the great majority of
parties. It is the writer's desire in this paper to show that
Crowberry Ridge of BuchailU Etive Mor. 305
Mwlay'i R-fti
Crowberry Ridge.
Oullitud by JV. JV. Naismith from a pkolograph by Mr Abraham.
306 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the climb can be fully enjoyed whilst this difficulty is
avoided, albeit it is done by going oflF the face of the
ridge for a short distance.
The foot of the Crowberry Ridge may be reached in
various ways. The climb over the lower rocks of the
curved ridge is perhaps the pleasantest, as it avoids the
snow or scree of the lower part of the gully between it
and the central buttress.
By whatever way it may be reached, the point to be
aimed at is to get to the lowest rocks of the ridge, which
are just below the level of the foot of the adjoining northern
buttress.
From these it is possible to scramble in two or three
ways up to a broad shelf or platform, which we shall call A.
There the climb begins opposite a small cairn erected by
Mr Abraham^s party. After ascending about a dozen feet
in a slanting direction, there is a traverse to the right with
a rather awkward corner to be got round without any very
good hold. From this corner a comfortable platform, which
we shall call B,is easily reached. From this a direct and
very steep, but not difficult, ascent of about fifteen feet
leads to the smaller but still capacious platform, which
we shall call C, from the left-hand corner of which Mr
Abraham's traverse begins. To follow the route to be
described it is not necessary to ascend to this last platform,
as an easy traverse to the right, from platform B, leads
round the corner towards the gully, and some grassy ledges
lead up to a conspicuous ledge sloping upwards to the left
and requiring a little care, which leads back to the face at
another platform, which we shall call D, and which is above
Mr Abraham's traverse.
To return to platform C, it is right to mention that the
grass ledges just mentioned can be reached by dropping
down at its right-hand corner, also that it is possible to
ascend at the same end to an awkward corner eight or ten
feet above, once round which an awkward ledge is reached,
which seems at first sight to afford a direct route to the
lower end of the ledge leading to platform D. Un-
'nately, however, there is a bulge about half-way along,
h it would at least be extremely difficult to pass.
Crowberry Ridge of Buchaille Etive Mor. 307
There is no hold that the writer could find by which it
could be got round, and this conclusion was confirmed by
another climber who had tried the ledge.
Coming back to platform D, a short upward traverse to
the left brings us back to Mr Abraham's route, and two or
three steps up lead to a somewhat high reach. It is got
over by getting hold of a very good handhold just at the
top of the rock, and using a narrow sloping foothold for
both feet to swing on to a large sloping foothold higher up
on the left. Here a perpendicular knob of rock about six
inches in diameter, standing a little off the main rock, is
used in a gingerly fashion to assist the climber to get up,
still to the left, on to a square-topped rock by means of
flat handholds, and without any further diflSculty a com-
paratively flat part of the ridge is reached where a halt can
be comfortably made. This, which may be called platform
E, ends the steep part of the climb.
Resuming the ascent the rocks become decidedly less
steep, though still affording excellent climbing, and they
form a sort of rough awkward staircase till another resting-
place is reached. The angle here rather eases off again,
and another scramble leads to a sort of lower tower where
a comfortable pause can be made, and for the first time it
is possible to get off the ridge to the left. From this point
a short horizontal knife edge leads to the foot of a long
curved rock ridge, which leads to the top of the Crowberry
Tower without any particular difficulty. On the far side
of the Tower is a dip of twenty to twenty-five feet, which
may be descended at either the right or the left corner of
the Tower to a narrow col, with a steep descent to the right
and an easier one to the left. Across the col the rocks are
easy, and we soon reach a snow or scree slope, at the top
of which is a narrow band of rock just below the summit,
which is reached without further diflSculty.
The possibly undue particularity of the foregoing de-
scription is perhaps justified by the importance of the
Ridge, which must, the writer thinks, always remain one of
the outstanding climbs on the Buchaille Etive. The two
most difficult points as it appeared to him, apart from the
sensational difficulty above described, were the awkward
308 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
corner between platforms A and B, and the steep bit be-
tween platforms D and E. Everything else was compara-
tively plain sailing. On the second occasion when the
writer ascended the ridge by this route, the party of four
on an eighty-foot rope were able to climb without unroping
at any point ; but there was rather too little rope for com-
fort at some points. With three on the rope on the previous
occasion no inconvenience was experienced.
In connection with the above climb, the following
approximate heights (aneroid) have been given us by the
Rev. A. E. Robertson.
Approximate
Height in Feet.
Foot of rocks of Crovvberry Ridge, straight below A 2,425
(The Rev. A. £. Robertson says that this pitch,
from the foot to A, gives excellent climbing,
and should on no account be omitted.)
Platform A - - - - - - 2,505
» C 2,550
„ E (cairn) ----- 2,670
Foot of Tower ----- 3,000
Summit of Tower - - - 3>i5o
Tower Col - - - - - - 3,110
Summit of Buchaille Etive Mor - - - 3,345
The Mystery of Crois. 309
THE MYSTERY OF CROIS.
By W. Inglis Clark.
Perhaps the very name Crois is mysterious to some of the
brotherhood. Even those well acquainted with Arrochar
might for a moment hesitate to locate it. For Crois is a
mountain, and a shapely one to boot ; but, in a district
of peaks easily accessible, its relative inaccessibility shuts
it off from the ordinary climber. To reach it from Arrochar
you must pass a triple temptation. First, the Cobbler, so
alluring as he looks down and displays a serrated ridge
rising over the shapely corrie. Then comes Narnain, with
its Dolomitic Spear-head Ar^te and assortment of difficult
chimneys. Farther, the wide expanse of Sugach Corrie,
with its Knife Edge Ar^te, and a dozen other good climbs,
endeavour to divert one from the unpromising Crois, the
eastern end of the ridge extending from Narnain to near
Inveruglas. From Inveruglas again, three temptations must
be passed. Right at hand Ben Vorlich, with its northern
corries full of snow, and its buttresses affording splendid
view points for Ben Lomond. Then the convenient foot-
path leading to Loch Sloy affords easy access to Ben Vane
and Ben Ime. But to reach Crois the* stream must be
crossed, and many ups and downs encountered ere the
Mystery of Crois is seen. From Inveruglas, Crois, especially
in spring time, presents a magnificent appearance. Rising
boldly from the valley, its numerous slabby bosses give it
an appearance of great inaccessibility, although the inter-
vening grassy couloirs present no difficulty. What then
is the " Mystery of Crois"? In S.M.C, Journal, Vol. VI.,
p. 190, we read, " The north face of the Crois (looking to
Loch Lomond) presents a range of cliffs that merits study.
A gully at the low right-hand comer gave a good climb at
Easter, part of it being iced.'*
Since that time many have been the plans and attempts
to reach the corrie of Crois. At New Year Meet, 1902,
a party of us driving from Inveruglas, made our way to
the summit in blinding blizzard and piercing cold, but were
3IO The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
fain to descend by the shortest route into Sugach Corrie.
Later, Gall Inglis and the writer (Vol. VII., p. 70) were
decoyed from their purpose by the alluring charms of the
Knife Edge of Sugach, so that it was left to this year,
April 1905, before we pierced the mystery that hung round
the corrie of Crois. Motoring to Inveniglas with my family,
we chose the southern side of Inveruglas Water, and follow-
ing the footpath underneath the railway close by the road,
emerged on the boggy ground. It was dry going, as the
cold night had locked up the waters in the reservoirs, but
subsequent descents and detours confirmed the opinion *
that it is much better to take the Loch Sloy footpath from
Inveruglas Farm, subsequently crossing the river when
near Crois. The corrie of Crois is a very narrow one, and
lies high up near the summit. It is somewhat nearer
Arrochar than Inveruglas, and up to the last minute pre-
serves its secrecy well. But, at last, rounding the last
knob we were face to face with the mystery. It can hardly
be called a corrie, although the crescentic stretch of cliffs
lends colour to the name. The cliffs, 400 to 500 feet
high, much resemble those of the Cobbler, and in one
place from below show a projecting beak or pinnacle
curiously like the north peak of that mountain. The cliffs
may conveniently be divided into three sections. Nearest
Inveruglas, and least in height, the Pinnacle Buttress. A
steep chimney, with at least two pitches, separates this
from the Central Buttress, a mass of slabs with possible
cracks and ledges, first climbed on 23rd May 1905. To
the west a deep cut couloir, and beyond this the largest
buttress rising nearly to the summit. A subsidiary ridge
rises from the bottom of the couloir, and may afford a
sporting route to the summit. Reserving the Pinnacle
Buttress, our first intention was to climb the sporting ridge,
and with Mrs Inglis Clark leading, we made some progress,
but as I was due in Edinburgh that evening, we traversed
a snowy ledge into the couloir, and under the leadership of
the ladies, reached the summit without difficulty.
The view from Crois is unique, and in some respects
finer than from the neighbouring mountains. On this
ccount alone fellow-members are urged to make its
I
The Mystery of Crois, 3 1 1
acquaintance. The chief feature is the marvellous out-
look down Loch Lomond, which, with its numerous islands,
merges in blue distance into the Campsie Fells. To the
south, Loch Long stretches without interruption to the
Firth of Clyde, Holy Island projecting far out from the
Arran hills into the middle distance. The peaks of Arran
are well seen, and then round to the right are Narnain,
Ime, Vane, and Vorlich. From Crois the ridge of Sugach
is like some broad highway leading to Narnain, which
from here presents a noble appearance (see illustration).
Ben Ime also shows at its best. As snow was plentiful we
glissaded towards Sugach, and avoiding the boggy ground
in the corrie, visited Narnain caves, and so home. A week
later the arrival of H. and C. W.Walker from Dundee, in their
six H.P. De Dion motor, gave us a further opportunity
to explore the corrie. Approaching it this time from
Arrochar, the appearance of the cliffs was so different that
at first we were in doubts as to their identity, and in deter-
mining this, C. Walker, with Mrs Clark, came on a fine
ridge right below the Pinnacle Buttress, which afforded an
interesting, and in parts, diflScult climb.
Meanwhile the rest of the party had reached the foot
of the rocks, which were now heavily fringed with huge
icicles. The original idea to climb the sporting ridge or
the southern buttress was negatived by the constant bom-
bardment of the rocks by masses of ice falling from above.
For the same reason the snow gullies were risky, and we
had to shelter below a projecting rock to avoid the masses
of ice which were constantly bounding over the grassy
slopes of the corrie. One of the blocks of ice was not less
than nine or ten inches in diameter, a suflSciently dangerous
missile. On reuniting our forces, the Pinnacle Buttress,
which was now in shadow, seemed the most feasible, and
promised good sport. Our party of six on 140 feet of
rope were nicely spaced, and under C. Walker's leadership,
the first pitch of the gully to the left was carried. Here
an ice avalanche proved a serious danger, but all escaped
except the writer, who was second on the rope. Fortu-
nately the mass struck fair on the chest, and inflicted no
injury. From the pitch the ascent of the Pinnacle was
312 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
made direct, our rope just giving sufficient space to obtain
good positions or hitches. An interesting little traverse
with a long stretch gave occasion for pause, and near the
top a steep wall with few holds proved trying, but under
our able leader difficulties vanished, and we ended exactly
on the top of the sensational Pinnacle (see illustration).
A narrow knife edge, best traversed stride-legs, leads in
about ten feet to the overhanging point, where a small cairn
was raised. No one assuredly will ever ascend from the
outside and traverse the Pinnacle. Most superb cloud
effects rejoiced us all the way, and some 600 feet of
excellent glissading rewarded us on our return journey.
Our glowing accounts fired Messrs Goggs and Raebum
to further explorations, and on the 23rd May 1905, they
proceeded to the Corrie of Crois. At the writer's suggestion
they attacked the Central Buttress, which they ascended
to the top. Mr Raeburn writes thus regarding it : " It is
a steep and interesting little climb. A grass-covered
chimney, near the foot, was found to be the most difficult
portion. A good deal of time was spent in trying to force
the ' Absolute Ar^te ' near the top, but eventually an escape
was found to the left by a narrow overhung grass ledge.
A small cairn was built above this." The description of
the corrie as looking to Loch Lomond is incorrect. It does
not look to Inveruglas, the nearest point of the loch, but it
rather looks down to the foot of the loch. (See photo-
graph from the Pinnacle.)
A Bit of the Berwickshire Coast and its Birds, 313
A BIT OF THE BERWICKSHIRE COAST AND
ITS BIRDS.
By W. Douglas.
The fringe of coast-line that runs west from Coldingham
Shore to Pease Dean, embracing the promontory of St
Abbs, depicts one of the most picturesque, and at the same
time rugged and grand scenes, with massive cliffs and
rocky stacks alive with bird life, that is to be found on all
the great seaboard of Eastern Scotland. Whether viewed
from the scenic, the geological, or the ornithological points of
view, few places can offer better or even equal attractions.
Starting from the village of Coldingham Shore early
one morning in the beginning of last May, Mr Harold
Raeburn (whose extensive and accurate knowledge of birds
and their habits was to add. so much to the interest of the
day) and I saw the cliffs at their best. The rising sun shone
full on their faces, lightening up their wondrous colours of
red, yellow, and white, with startling effect, and the great
flights of sea-birds, ever wheeling round in countless numbers,
filling the air with their incessant cries, added the life to
the scene which completed a perfect picture.
We began our examination of the cliffs at Whiteheugh.
This strange promontory widens out as its reaches seawards,
and appears to be guarded at its narrow neck by the ruins
of an ancient castle, but on coming closer we found them
to be weathered fragments of natural rock which had taken
this unusual form. In the recesses of this fastness we
observed a Jackdaw sitting on its nest, which on being
disturbed revealed two eggs. On the ledges of the south
face of this promontory nest three large colonies of Guille-
mots.* Each individual bird standing as usual, erect like a
♦ Mr Muirhead says of the Guillemot that besides those breeding
on Whiteheugh, "a small breeding station of this species is seen on the
cliffs immediately to the east of the Lighthouse, and after rounding the
Head considerable colonies are found on the Cleaver Rock, Foul
Carr, the precipices at the Ramparts, Skelly, and Flot Carr. There is
also a nesting place on the face of the steep cliff which looks towards
314 ^^^ Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
man in full evening dress, with its white front and swallow-
tailed coat, had already paired for the season and looked
quite secure under its overhanging ledge of rock. Besides
these Guillemots, on the whole face of this great cliff, wher-
ever the smallest resting place offered room for a nest, were
scattered the ever present Herring Gull, leaving only a small
part clear for the minute colony of the graceful Kittiwake,*
which had taken its quarters on small rock ledges nearer
the sea. It was pleasant to think in looking at the sites
which these birds had chosen, that the most of them were
absolutely safe from molestation, for nearly all of them, on
this cliff at any rate, were in quite inaccessible positions.!
On the other side of Heugh my friend found in a
pigeon's nest a young bird with a plentiful supply of feathers
already on its back, and it would not be long before it was
away on the wing. Evidently its parents had nested early
in the year. We saw many pigeons and Jackdaws during
the day, and they must breed in great numbers all along
the cliffs.
In the absence of a local guide we were sometimes at a
the west between West Hurker and Petticowick Harbour. When we
reach Broadhaven Bay a small colony is seen on the rocks there, and
another at the Raven's Heugh ; further on at Trummie Carr we find
another occupying the most westerly breeding place of the Guillemot
on the coast of Berwickshire " ("Birds of Ber^vickshire," vol. ii., p. 298).
We verified all these sites with the exception of the last three. There
is also another considerable colony on the cliffs to the east of and
facing Fowl Carr.
* Mr Muirhead says (1895) that the Kittiwake "does not now nest
on any part of the Berwickshire coast " (vol. ii., p. 288). This site was
re-discovered prior to 1897 by Mr Oswin Lee. He records in his
book, "Among British Birds in their Nesting Haunts," "that he was
lowered on a rope to photograph two birds on their nest at St Abb's
Head" (vol. i., p. 54). From our own observation there are now four
small colonies, viz., on Whiteheugh, P^owl Carr, the cliflf east of Fowl
Carr, and the Ramparts.
t Mr Muirhead records (ii., p. 282), that the eggs used to be eagerly
sought after by the local fishermen, but that now they do not go so
frequently on egging expeditions. He also tells how some forty years
ago the fishermen of Bummouth went twice a week in "gull time" to
get eggs and usually secured from 80 to 90 in a morning. We could
have lifted about 140 had we been so minded.
A Bit of the Berwickshire Coast and its Birds, 315
loss to give the correct names to the various cliffs, head-
lands, and stacks on our way along the coast, but after our
return, with the help of the illustrations in Mr Muirhead's
book on the " Birds of Berwickshire," and the 6-inch Ord-
nance Survey map, we have been able to make up a list of
them and to identify them all, and this list is printed at the
end of this paper.
In our round of Whiteheugh, where we kept as near the
edge of the cliffs as was prudent, we discovered a nest with
one egg in it of the one foolish Herring Gull which had built
its house within reach of human hands. My friend remarked
that one usually finds this in all such stations. It must
either have not yet acquired the faculty of knowing when
it was safe or had been crowded out of all the better
positions.
These cliffs must look well from the sea, and I under-
stand that boats can easily be hired at Coldingham Shore
for this purpose. To do this pleasantly, however, one is
very much dependent upon the weather, for the surf rolls
in heavily whenever the winds do blow.
After leaving Whiteheugh we circled round northwards,
and got down to the shore at a pretty little cove called
Horsecastle Bay, where on our right was a curious detached
land stack called Batty's Stone. My friend climbed up
behind this and discovered another pigeon's nest containing
two eggs.
From here we made our way across the low ground that
divides St Abb's Head from the mainland and ascended to
the top of the cliffs. These, at this point, are at their
grandest, and plunge down for the most part vertically into
the sea.
We swept the ledges of the cliffs below the lighthouse
with binocular, and counted numbers of Guillemots and
Herring Gulls on their nests, or, in the case of the Guillemot,
on what stands with them in place of a nest. Then we
worked our way round the seaward side of the lighthouse
enclosures, looking down on the Cleaver Rock which stands
up boldly below and carries many nests of the Herring Gull.
Just before reaching the site of St Abb's Nunnery we
managed again to reach the shore, climbing down a steep
3i6 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
grassy slope. Here great blocks of stone cover the beach,
and in front rise the two rock towers of the Stack and Fowl
Carr, with the Crooked Carr at their base. An adventurous
ascent of the Stack was made by Raeburn, and the breeding
haunts of the Herring Gull invaded. This species held this
entire rock in possession, while on the Fowl Carr opposite,
a large colony of the Guillemot and a smaller one of the
kittiwake, as well as the herring gull, were observed. No
doubt the Razorbill was there among the Guillemots, but
we did not pick it out. The Lesser Black-Backed Gull is
also said to breed here, but we did not discover it. Mr
Muirhead has a note in his book (vol. ii., p. 3CO), that a
fisherman had told him that above forty years ago he had
taken as many as i8o Guillemots' eggs off Fowl Carr in
one day. This fisherman must have been a very expert
climber, for to us the rock looked quite inaccessible, but
possibly from the seaward side it may be more easily
climbed.
On return to the heights again we looked down the
cliffs of the Ramparts and over the heads of the near stacks
of Flott Carr and Skelly, and on and away eastwards past
Earnsheugh and Fast Castle — a rich view full of colour and
life. With this on our right we wended our way round the
cliffs, passing the Steeple Rock, till we descended to the
quaint little bay of Petticowick. About here we had a
talk with a native, who told us he had seen a few Puffins
nesting on the cliffs, but we could see none of them ; indeed,
Mr Muirhead says, " that it does not appear to breed at St
Abbs now " (vol. ii., p. 307).
The view from Petticowick, showing clearly the con-
torted and tilted strata of rocks, is very impressive. The
bold cliffs of Earnsheugh, the ancient home of the White-
tailed Eagle, and Heathery Carr, rising to a height of 500
feet, stretch westwards to the conspicuous waterfall of the
Moorburn, which tumbles over the cliffs a mile away. At
the end of the farthest out promontory on the horizon, the
tower of the Souter Rock appears, and this is often mistaken
for Fast Castle.
With regard to the geology we have it on the authority
of Sir Archibald Geikie, that " nowhere are the foldings of
A Bit of the Berwickshire Coast and its Birds. 317
the Silurian strata more magnificently laid bare " than on
the five miles of cliffs that stretch westwards from St Abb's
Head. He also refers to the " gigantic arches and troughs
wherein the massive beds of greywacke are folded like
piles of carpets," and to the dark volcanic rock that projects
beyond the rest of the coast-line and bears the lighthouse.*
After leaving Petticowick we were unable to get to the
shore again till just beyond the waterfall of the Moorburn,
where a difficult little climb lets one down to a gravelly
beach. We did not observe the Guillemots here nor at the
Raven's Heugh, but as we had forgotten that Muirhead
mentions those places as breeding sites we omitted to look
particularly for them. As we circled round the head of the
cliffs we occasionally got side views of them, and there, as
before, were the Herring Gulls, Jackdaws, and pigeons.
Passing Coldingham Loch on our left we continued our
way over Outlaw Hills and descended once more at the
Brander. This is a long low promontory, stretching sea-
wards in a series of rocky peaks rising from a narrow rock
ardte and offers quite a nice little climb. On the east side
of this ridge nest five pairs of the Green Cormorant or
Shag, the only ones we saw to-day, and over the whole
rock countless numbers of the Herring Gull.
From here we had a steep climb up again, only to
descend steeply into the deep ravine of the Dowlaw Dean,
and re-ascend on the other side. We then reached out to
the Souter Rocks, where there is another climb to be got,
but the Souter himself is quite inaccessible. A few
minutes more and we were up and down again to Fast
Castle — the " Wolfs Crag " of the " Bride of Lammermoor "
— keeping a bright look-out as we passed along the top
of the Hawk's Heugh for the Peregrine Falcon, but failed
to see it. Here ended our examination of the cliffs for
the day, and then began the long seven miles' tramp to
Cockburnspath amid the songs of Skylarks and Pipets,
and the cries of Wheatears and Peeseweeps, till we reached
the hedgerows, and the songs were changed to those of the
Greenfinch, Yellow- Hammer, Chaffinch, and other little
♦ " Scenery of Scotland," 3rd ed., p. 451.
XLvni. c
3i8 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
birds. We reached the train in good time after eleven
hours' hard going, and soon were whirled home.
The names of the different birds recorded as identified
by my friend during the day, were Herring Gull, Kittiwake,
Guillemot, Jackdaw, Rock-Dove, Razorbill, Shag, Oyster
Catcher, Lesser Black Backed Gull (?), Starling, Sparrow,
Swift, Martin, Greenfinch, Yellow-Hammer, Skylark, Stone-
chat, Lapwing, Cuckoo, Corncrake, Swallow, Blackbird,
Missel Thrush, Song Thrush, Rock-Pipit, Meadow-Pipit,
Rook, Wheatear, Pied-Wagtail, Robin, Chaffinch, and
Blue-Tit.
In such an excursion as I have endeavoured to record
one feels the full joy of nature in her wildest form. The
coast-line is far removed from train and road, and there are
few habitations in view. True it is that cultivated farm
fields come here and there close to the edge of the cliflTs,
but one's eyes are always turned seawards, and one forgets
in the keen sea breezes and in the sight of these undisturbed
sea birds, that the hand of man lies heavily on the land.
List of Cliffs and Stacks on the Berwickshire
Coast from Coldingham Shore or St Abb's
Village, to Fast Castle.
White Heugh. — This is the great rock headland that lies directly north
of the village of St Abb's or Coldingham Shore. (See " Muirhead,"
vol. ii., p. 298, for illustration.)
Hardencarrs Heugh and Harden Carrs.
Wuddy Heugh, with the Rough Carrs, Wuddy Rocks, and Redshanks
Rock lying off.
Burnmouth Harbour, with Little Black Carrs off the mouth of the Bay.
Horsecastle, with to the north Horsecastle Bay, with Batty's Stone
on the south shore of it (illustrated in " Muirhead," vol. ii., p. 94),
and Horsecastle Rocks and the Big Black Carrs lying off. The
Bay lies at the south-east end of the low ground that lies between
St Abb's Head and the mainland. Usually some fishing boats are
drawn up here.
East Hurker.
Kirk Hill (250 feet) with Deil's Elbow and Waimie Carr below.
"St Abb's Kirk" and Batt/s Heugh with Tod Rock lying off.
Black Gable with, to the north-west, Harelaw Cove, and to the south
Cauldron Cove.
A Bit of the Berwickshire Coast and its Birds, 319
Lighthouse with Signal Station (310 feet), with to the N.N.W. Cleaver
Rock and Goose Groves ; to the north Graig Rock, and to the east
Eelicar Rock and Glaffert's or Grawfart's Rock lying off.
Ramparts and St Abb's Nunnery, with to the east three isolated stacks,
The Stack, Fowl Garr, and Grooked Garr (illustrated in " Muir-
head," vol. ii., 284 and 308), and Headland Cove to the west.
Hope's Heugh with outlying rocks of Wheat Stack, Auld Man o'
Wick, Staple Rock, Float car Rock and Skelly, West Hurker and
the Big and Little Channeler, and nearer to Petticowick, Steeple
Rock.
Petticowick Harbour.
Broadhaven Heugh (150 feet) with Broadhaven Bay and Broadhaven
Beach.
West in Thirle Heugh, Bay and Rocks.
Raven's Heugh (300 feet\ faces east above West in Thirle Bay.
Thrummiecarr Heugh (350 feet), faces west, with Thrummie Garr
and Cove below.
Biter's Heugh (with the high ground behind running up to 528 feet),
and north of this is Biter's Beach, and lying off Green Skeers and
Alice's Strand Gaut.
Uilystrand Heugh (409 feet), with Uilystrand Brae below.
Snuffliole Heugh (450 feet), with below Snuffliole Stells and Little
Pits.
Whitestone Brae (500 feet), with Whitestone Heugh below.
Eam's Heugh (491 feet), with a little rock. Black Rock, lying off.
Heathery Garr, and Heathery Garr Beach below, to the east of the
waterfall of the Moorbum ; Heathery Garr lying off to the west,
with still farther to the north and west, Pikie's Cove and Rock,
Moorbum Point, and Pikie's Stell.
Oatlee Hill (Outlaw Hill, 532 feet), with Moorbum Beach and Oatlee
Gove and Gave below.
Mawcarr Stells and Shilments, with Shilment Beach between and
the M abound Rock lying off.
Step Heugh (350 feet), with the Barley hole Rocks between which and
the Lumsdaine Shore stretch the Broad Sands with the Hollow
Craig and Naked Man.
Rough Heugh, with Williegits and Hurker lying off.
Brander Heugh (472 feet), with below the Brander and to the east and
south of it Brander Cove and Brander Cliffs ; to the west of the
Brander are the Mussel Craigs.
Dowlaw Dean and Waterfall.
Souter Brae (134 feet). The Souter and Souter Tails.
Byrips Gove, with Little and Big Byrips, and Meg Watson's Graig
lying off.
Hawk's Heugh (350 feet), rising behind to Telegraph Hill (572 feet).
Fast Castle (153 feet), with Wheat Stack lying off.
S.M.C. GUIDE BOOK.
-•♦^
SGURR A' CHOIR GHLAIS AND THE
GLEN STRATH FARRAR HILLS.
(Division III. Group XXI.)
Lat. 57" 26' 40"; W. Lon. 4' 54'. One-inch O.S., Sheets
82, 83. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 20.
Sgiirr a' Choir Ghlais is the culminating point of the
range of hills which runs east and west along the north side
of Glen Strath Farrar, and separates that beautiful and
richly wooded valley from the wild and desolate region of
Glen Orrin.
These hills are composed of different varieties of meta-
morphic rock — gneiss, mica-schist, and quartzite. A band
of granitoid and homblendic gneiss, similar to the Lewisian
gneiss of the North-west Highlands, forms the lower part
of Sgiirr na Muice in the Broulin Forest.
Beinn a Bhdach Ard ( Vatchart^ 2,826 feet), the eastern
extremity of the range, forms a fine cone-shaped peak,
conspicuous in the view from Inverness and the shores of
the Beauly Firth. The northern slopes above Glen Orrin
are smooth and peat-covered, but on the south side a bare
rocky shoulder falls into Glen Strath Farrar above the
woods of Culligran.
Route. — From Struy Bridge i mile up Glen Strath
Farrar to Culligran, whence a path to the right leads north-
east up the slopes to the ridge east of Carn nam Pollan, and
thence south-west for a mile along the sky-line to the
summit. The ridge can now be followed westward, or the
descent made to the road by the rocky spur mentioned
above. Another path leaves the road a short distance east
of the bridge over the Neaty Burn, and follows the valley
Sgurr a' Choir GhlaiSy &c. 321
of that stream to the col between Meallan Buidhe (2,505
feet) and Beinn Vaichart
For the next 4 or 5 miles the ridge is smooth,
grassy, and uninteresting, though splendid going. The top
of Sgurr Ruadh (3,254 feet) is of the same character, but is
separated, a mile to the south, by a steep dip of over
800 feet from the rocky summit of Garbh Cham (2,801
feet), whose southern slopes fall steeply to the head of
Loch Bunacharan, with fine rock faces on the east and
south-east.
The next summit, i mile to the north-east, is Cam nan
Gobhar (3,242 feet), with a top covered with loose stones,
and steep grassy slopes to north. A grassy ridge with a
drop of 4CO feet to the col, followed by a rise of 700 feet,
leads in i mile to the summit cairn of Sgkrr d Choir
Ghlais (3,554 feet).
This is a graceful coniform peak, stony on the summit,
and with a few small crags on the northern side. On the
south, smooth grassy slopes lead down to Ardchuilk, at the
head of Loch Mhuilinn, 3^ miles. A path also leads from
Mulie for some distance up the valley of Allt a Mhuilinn,
on the east side of the stream.
The succeeding summits on the ridge — Creag Ghorm a'
Bhealaich (3,378 feet), i mile W.N.W. ; Sgiirr Fhuar-thuill
(3i4S9 feet), \\ miles W.N.W. of Sgiirr Choir Ghlais; and
Sgiirr na Festig^ half mile west of Sgiirr Fhuar-thuill — are
all much of the same character, with craggy faces over-
looking the deep corries on the northern side of the ridge,
but possess no outstanding structural features.
From Sgiirr na Festig a spur runs south at right angles,
whose eastern side is far wilder and more rocky than any
part of the main range. Sgiirr na Muice (2,919 feet) rises
in an almost unbroken precipitous face above the deep
corrie of Loch Toll a Mhuic ; and Beinn na Muice, at the
farther end of the spur, presents bare rocky slopes to the
east and south.
As a whole, the Glen Strath Farrar hills are of more
interest to the hill-walker than to the Ultramontane. They
lie amongst some of the finest scenery of the Central High-
lands, and afford a magnificent series of views of the
322 TJie Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
mountains of Central and Western Inverness and Ross, but
with the exception of the eastern face of Sg^rr na Muice,
afford little or no real rock-climbing.
The district lies entirely within the deer forests of
Struy, Broulin, and Strathconon ; is strictly guarded during
July, August, and September ; and is at all times somewhat
inaccessible. The nearest inn (small but comfortable) is at
Struy, ID miles from Beauly, daily mail-car. The road
from Struy up Glen Strath Farrar to the foot of Loch
Monar is fairly good for cycling, but loose and sandy in
places. Accommodation can sometimes be got with the
keeper at Ardchuilk, at the foot of Sgiirr ^ Choir Ghlais,
7 miles above Struy. L. W. H.
Literature.
"A Traverse of Ross-shire from Beauly to Strath-
carron," by Colin B. Phillip. 5. /I/. C/., Vol. III., p. I2i.
"The Freevater and Glen Strath Farrar Mountains,"
by H. T. Munro. S,M,CJ,, Vol. VI., p. 46.
MAOILE LUNNDAIDH.
(Division III. Group XXII.)
Lat. 57° 28' ; W. Lon. 5** 6'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 82. Bartholomew s Ordnance Map,
Sheet 20.
Maoile Lunndaidh (3,294 feet) = the hill of the boggy place. 3 miles
north of Loch Monar.
Creag Toll a' Choin (3,295 feet). \ mile west of Maoile Lunndaidh.
Cirn nam Fiaclan (3,253 feet) = cairn of the teeth. | mile west by
south of Maoile Lunndaidh.
Creag Dhubh Mhor (2,796 feet), i mile north of Maoile Lunndaidh.
Maoile Lunndaidh is a large massive mountain, bounded
by Glen Fhiodhaig on the north and Loch Monar on the
south. The various summits mentioned above are separated"
from each other by very slight dips, and some of them can
scarcely be considered even separate tops, notably Creag
Toll a' Choin and Maoile Lunndaidh itself. Being situated
Bidean an Eoin Deirg, ' 323
a long way from the sea on either side, it carries a good
deal of snow in its corries far into the summer. There are
deep corries on all sides, the finest being the Fuar-tholl Mor
on the N.N.W. side. It contains three small tarns, one
above the other. There are also lochans in Coire Lochan
a' Chlaidheimh and Coire Loch na Dearcag. There are
rather large cliffs in Fuar-tholl Mor, but they do not look
at a hurried glance very promising for climbing. Information
on this point is wanted. It commands grand views of the
Ross-shire mountains — Torridon, Loch Carron, &c., to the
north-west and north ; an Fannich, the Monar tops, Bidean
Eoin Deirg, &c., looking very fine, seen close to. It is
rather an inaccessible mountain, the nearest hotels being
Achnasheen and Strathcarron. From the former, follow
the railway track westwards for two miles, then strike
up track to Scardroy at the head of Loch Beannachan.
Then follow the Meig Water to the foot of Gleann an
Allt an Amise, which joins it from the south-west. There
is a track up this valley for about two miles, and then over
the moss to Loch a* Chlaidheimh, situated in the corrie of
that name, thence up the south-east arete to the summit.
No climbing recorded. C. B. P.
BIDEAN AN EOIN DEIRG.
(Division III. Group XXIII.)
Lat. 57' 26' to 57' 27' ; W. Lon. 5' 10' to 5* 15'. Ord-
nance Survey Map, one-inch scale, Sheet 82. Bartholomew's
Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 20.
Bidean an Eoin Deirg (3,430 feet) = the peak of the red birds.
Sgurr a Chaoruinn (3,452 feet) = the rowan peak.
Sgurr Choinnich (3,260 feet).
Beinn Tharsuinn (2,807 feet).
This is an interesting group of mountains, lying in that
very remote region to the north of Loch Monar.
The finest hill in the group is undoubtedly Bidean an
Eoin Deirg, locally known as " The Spidean." It rises into
a sharp peak, and has a very imposing-looking north-east
324 The Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
face, where there are some good rocks on which climbing
could probably be got.
The other three peaks are easy undulating summits,
with grassy corries all around. These corries usually con-
tain a big quantity of snow in spring and early summer.
This group may be easily reached from either Glencarron
Station, or Achnashellach Station on the Dingwall and
Kyle of Lochalsh Railway.
A good driving track runs up the Allt a' Chonais to
Coire-beithe in Glen Evaig. This track may be taken for
three or four miles, when one or other of the shooting
paths which exist here will afford an easy approach to the
hills.
N^B, — The scenery in the Allt a* Chonais is very fine.
To get at this group of hills from the Monar side is
much more difficult, as the distances from public resorts
are great
A new small inn a mile from Struy Bridge has recently
been opened, and from it Glen Strath Farrar may be
explored, but west Monar is a " far cry " from Struy, and
were one approaching the hills from that side, he would
need to find accommodation in some of the keepers' houses
about Loch Monar.
The ground is all under deer. A. E. R
LURG MHOR (3,234 feet).
(Division III. Group XXIV.)
Lat 57" 24i' ; W. Lon. 5*" 13'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale. Sheet 82. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheet 2a
Bidean Choire Sheasgatch (3,102 feet) ; pron. Bidean Coire Hts-gich
=the peak of the barren corrie.
Lur^r Mh6r v>-34 feet) = the big ridge.
Meall Mor L^.iv)o feet) = the big lump.
This is a ver}- inaccessible group of hills l>4ng to the
Moriiisg, 325
west of Loch Monar ; their western slopes drain into the
headwaters of the Ling in Kintail.
They can be got at from Strathcarron Hotel by
traversing a series of tracks over some very rough and
broken ground to the Loch an Laoigh. From here the
track continues through the Bealach an Sgoltaidh (a right-
of-way) to Loch Monar.
Bidean Choire Sheasgaich may be easily climbed from
the Bealach an Sgoltaidh. There is no cairn on the summit.
A fine walk leads in a south-westerly direction to Lurg
Mor (3,234 feet) — cairn here.
Lurg Mor is a great long flat-topped ridge, with easy
slopes descending to the south. It is very steep and pre-
cipitous on its north side, but there is no good climbing
rock on the hill.
A good road runs up Glen Strath Farrar to Monar
Lodge. There is nothing but a rough track along the north
side of Loch Monar to Strathmore Lodge, communication
being usually made by boat. From the west end of Monar
Loch a rough track runs through the Bealach an Sgoltaidh
to Attadale as above mentioned. A good path has been
recently constructed from Glen Elchaig to Pait Lodge,
which might be utilised in getting to or from this remote
r^ion.
The ground is all under deer. A. E. R.
MORUISG.
(Division III. Group XXV.)
Lat. 57° 30' ; W. Lon. 5** 10'. Ordnance Survey Map,
one-inch scale, Sheet 82. Bartholomew's Reduced Ord-
nance Map, Sheet 20.
Moniisg (3,026 feet).
This is a somewhat featureless hill, lying on the east
side of the Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh Railway at
Glencarron Station. There is no climbing on it whatever,
326 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
the hill being mostly made up of grass and screes. It may
easily be ascended from Glencarron Station between trains.
It is well to note that there is no public accommodation
near Glencarron Station, Craig Inn being now shut up.
The ground is under deer. A. E. R.
SGURR A' MHUILLNN
( The Peak of the Mill),
(Division III. Group XXVI.)
Lat. 57' 33' 40" ; VV. Lon. 4° 55'. One-inch O.S., Sheet
82. Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance Map, Sheet 20.
This mountain ?nassify generally known as Sgiirr a'
Mhuilinn — the name of one only of its several summits
— occupies a central and outstanding position between the
head of Strath Conon and Strath Bran, and, whether viewed
from the low ground of Easter Ross, or from Achnasheen
and the heights of Kinlochewe in the west, rises as a most
conspicuous feature in the landscape.
Composed of different varieties of metamorphic rock,
the mountain forms an oblong mass of elevated ground,
four by three miles in extent, and divided into two unequal
portions by the deep valley of Gleann Meinich.
On the north side of this glen the summits rise in the
following order from south-east to north-west: — Creag
Ruadh (2,388 feet) ; i mile west by north, Meallan nan
Ban (2,750 cont.) ; i mile north by west, beyond a dip of
nearly 600 feet, Sgitrr a' Mhuilinn (2,845 feet) ; and, \\
miles west by north, Sghrr cl Ghlas Leathaid (2,778 feet) ;
a graceful cone-shaped peak, and the culminating point of
the mountain. The most striking feature of Sgiirr Mhuiliun
is, however, the peak — nameless on the one-inch O.S., but
known locally as Creag Ghlas — which rises on the north
side of Gleann Mhuilinn rather less than i mile south of
Sgiirr a* Ghlas Leathaid, and plunges down in a magni-
ficent precipice of bare, grey, slabby rock to the deep
grassy valley below.
Sgurr cC Mhuilinn. 327
At either end of the lower ridge on the south side of
Gleann Meinich are Meallna Faocfiaig {2,2'ii feet) and the
top wrongly named on the O.S. Map, Creag Ghlas, and
locally known as Cnap na Feola (1,895 feet).
Sgiirr Mhuilinn may be approached from the east by
Strath Conon (daily mail-car from Muir of Ord Station to
Strathconon village), a beautiful drive of 16 miles up the
valley of the Conon and Meig rivers. The ascent can be
made from Strathanmore, i mile west of the village, by fol-
lowing the Allt a' Mhuilinn. A more interesting way is by
Gleann Meinich, and up the first tributary stream on the
north side of that glen, descending from Sgiirr Ghlas
Leathaid to the head of the valley.
An alternative route from the west is from Achanalt
(Hotel), on the Dingwall and Skye Railway, whence a walk
of 4 miles over somewhat dreary moorland leads to the
north foot of Sgiirr a* Ghlas Leathaid. Inns at Muir of
Ord, Achilty, Achanalt, and some (rough) accommodation
in Strathconon village. L. W. H.
EXCURSIONS.
Tfu Editor -will be glad to receive brief notices of any noteworthy expeditions.
These are not meant to supersede longer articles^ but many members who may
not care to undertake the one will have no difficulty in impairing information
in the other form,
Clach Glas, a New Climb on.— Sunday, 23rd April 1905, Inglis
Clark, H. Walker, and Goodeve slept the night at Camasunary Lodge
after doing a climb on Blaven. The morning did not look very pro-
mising, as there had been a good deal of rain in the night, and the
tops of the hills had a fair sprinkling of fresh snow. There were
heavy clouds about, and the mist was low down on the hills. Getting
up about 5.30 A.M., a start was made from the Lodge by 7 A.M. By
that time the sky had cleared, and the general weather conditions
appeared more favourable. The track was followed from the Lodge
as far as the Lonely Corrie, and the corrie ascended to the foot of the
central buttress of Clach Glas. The north face of Blaven looked
exceptionally grand with the mist eddying and swirling round the
pinnacles of rock near the summit, and several photographs were
taken at different points en route,
A consultation was then held at the foot of the buttress, as there
appeared to be a choice of three routes, namely, the main gully, the
buttress to the right, or the buttress to the left of this gully, either
buttress offering a choice of routes at the bottom. The left-hand
buttress is continuous to the summit, and was, the writer believes,
climbed by Naismith and Parker. It was eventually decided to try
the gully. The first two pitches were very wet and cold owing to the
snow and ice on the rocks, and the stream of water running over them,
and though not very difficult some care had to be used. After the
first two pitches the gully did not appear as though it would offer
much difficulty higher up, so a traverse was made out of the gully on
to the right-hand buttress.
This traverse landed the party on to some big boiler-plate slabs,
which >vere in bad condition owing to fresh snow, and the holds were
very small and all filled with snow, so that a good deal of time was
taken up in finding and cleaning them out There were very few
hitches, and those only small ones, and not particularly safe. With
the exception of two short snow-storms while on the buttress, the
weather was favourable, and the views looking back across the valley,
Excursions. 329
were most varied in colour and effect. When near the top the buttress
opened out on to some scree lying at the foot of the main tower of
Clach Glas. From the scree a narrow and well-defined chimney
leads up direct to the summit on the north-west side of Clach Glas.
This was carefully examined at the foot, but appeared to be almost
impossible under the existing conditions of snow and glazed rock, and
it was decided not to spend any time in seeing what could be done.
[This chimney may perhaps be climbed at some future date in the
summer when the rocks are dry, but as seen later on by the party from
the summit, the last two pitches looked quite impossible.]
By traversing over the scree to the right the ridge connecting
Clach Glas with Blaven was reached, and the usual route was followed
to the summit of the former. The wind being high and the weather
cold, a long stay was not made, the ridge being followed down to the
col separating Clach Glas from Garven. The descent took some time,
great care having to be used owing to the slippery state of the rocks
and fresh snow. From the col an easy descent over the scree landed
the fiarty once more in the Lonely Corrie, whence the track to
Sligachan was followed, the inn being reached at 7.15 p.m. after a
most delightful day on the hills notwithstanding the snow, storms, and
other adverse weather conditions experienced. T. E. Goodeve.
The Fairy Knoll, Lochfyne. — Persons sailing to or from
Inveraray can scarcely fail to notice an oddly-shaped top which pro-
jects from the nearly horizontal line of hills bordering the east side of
Lochfyne.
The hill referred to appears on the O.S. maps as Sith an t' Sluain,
and it is 1,428 feet in height, and 3 miles S.S.W. of Strachur.
On 1 2th May I left Strachur Pier at 6.30 A.M., and after walking
along the water-side for i^ miles, slanted up the hill, first through
copsewood and primroses, and then across the open moor.
An hour and a quarter brought me to the foot of the Fairy Knoll.
Even from the loch side any one could see that its geological character
differed from that of the neighbouring hills, and now, sure enough, it
showed itself to be of igneous origin — the plug evidently of an old
crater. The top is of oval shape, and is guarded all round by cliffs
lying at an angle of about 45", except the end farthest from Lochfyne,
where the tourist route may be supposed to be. The cliffs on the end
next the loch are 300 feet high, and give a fairly good scramble,
although the rock is crumbling and unreliable.
During the ascent I kept a sharp look-out " lest bogles catch me
unawares," but I saw nothing uncanny, unless indeed the fairy
inhabitants had assumed the form of rabbits and blue hares.
The morning was still and hazy. In clear weather I am told that
vessels riding at the Tail of the Bank at Greenock can be easily made
330 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal,
out from here. The hill, moreover, enjoys a fine panorama, not only
of Lochfyne on one side and the quiet Glendaruel on the other, but
also of many of the Highland Bens, and even of some of the Hebrides.
It was somewhere hereabouts, among these Cowall hills, that the last
wild boar was shot in Scotland.
On that peaceful morning, with no sound but the occasional call of
a plover or a cuckoo, varied by the cry of a grouse pleading with the
intruder to "go back, go back,** it struck me that the fairies had
selected a most charming spot to hold their revels.
While resting on the top, there suddenly came the rumble of an
avalanche. No ! it was only a fall of rocks at the Furness granite
quarries on the opposite side of the loch, and then silence again
reigned.
If we may judge from a passage in " The Lost Pibroch," the hill
seems to have been more frequented in the eighteenth century
than now.
" There was a man — blessings with him ! for he's here no more —
who would always be going up on Sithean Sluaidhe to have troke
with the wee people on that fine knowe. He would bring them tast-
ings of honey and butter to put them in a good key, and there they
would dance by the hour for his diversion to the piping of a piper who
played on drones of grass with reeds made of the midge's thrapple.
" Still, in all my time I know but one body who could find the
way to the den of the fairies, and she was a lass whose folks were in
Ceanmore at the time the French traffickers were coming here to
swap casks of claret wine for the finest herrings in the wide world."
W. W. N.
Ben Starav. — The Victoria Day holiday is always one which I
look forward to as being one of the best single-day holidays in the
year, as at that time the days are long, the weather is usually settled,
and often there is a large quantity of snow on the hills. On the
occasion of this year's Victoria Day, A. E. M*Kenzie and I, not
satisfied with the charms of the 4.30 a.m., went one better by taking
the 9.45 P.M. on Monday night to Dalmally. We had hoped to get
some sleep on the way, but owing to a talkative factor on his way
home, and two Castlebay fishermen, a lively conversation was kept
up, principally on the subject of eviction. Crofters' Commission, and
the question of deer forest or sheep farm superiority ; sleep was there-
fore out of the question.
Being due at Dalmally at 3.29 we considered ourselves rather ill-
used when we left the train at that station at 4.20, but congratulated
ourselves on being there at all.
We soon covered the two miles to the entrance of Glen Strae, and
started for the 2,000 feet col between Ben Lurachan and Meall
Excursions. 331
Copagach. We had expected to find a good path up this, in view of
Mr Gillon's note in the last number of the Journal, but all we could
find was a track, which only occasionally deigned to show itself. As
we proceeded up, the clouds, which had at first simply been hovering
on the higher summits, began to descend, and soon we were enveloped
in a wet mist and rain, which, together with the heat, made walking
distinctly uncomfortable, but as it was still early we hoped for better
things later on.
On arriving at the top, however, at about 6.30, the view was
depressing. Ben nan Aighean was visible to about 2,000 feet, and
did not look inviting. From that distance it appeared to be a case of
steep grass and slabby rocks. However, a nearer view from the glen
looked cheerier. We breakfasted at 7.30 at the point where the Allt
Hallater joins the river Kinglass, and after a twenty minutes' stay
started off. We kept a deep gully which runs up the hill to our left,
and had a most enjoyable climb up steep heather and easy rocks,
reaching the cairn at ten o'clock.
As in the case of Mr Gillon at New Year, there was no attraction
there, and after taking our bearings for the col we started down going
north by west. After getting some distance down we found we had
kept too much to the west, and accordingly had to work along and
down the hillside towards the saddle at the head of Glen Kinglass.
About this time the mist began to rise a little and let us see where the
diflferent hills were situated, but not enough to see the tops. We
reached the saddle about 10.40, and spent half an hour at lunch. We
then struck up the Corrie of Ben Starav for a considerable distance,
and at a height of about 3,000 feet joined the east ridge, which at that
point was very narrow, with steep snow-covered slopes on the north.
We kept on this ridge till we reached the summit plateau, and then
over some snowfields to the cairn, which we struck at 12.20.
The scenery along the ridge and on the top was magnificent,
though, owing to the thick mist, distinctly limited. The whole north
face was covered with snow at a very steep angle with nasty-looking
rocks jutting out here and there, and the remains of a large cornice
still surmounted the whole. The distant view was of course distin-
guished by its entire absence.
As we laid our offerings on the cairn, M*Kenzie began rummaging
therein and pulled forth a bottle. It contained several pieces of paper
none of which we could extract, but one of them had been folded so
that he who climbed might read. The inscription was "J. Rennie,
W. Douglas, S.M. Club, from Inveroran Hotel, i6th April 1892,
3.55 P.M." We hastened to put in a note of our names also, and
replaced the bottle.
We came down in much the same way as we had gone up, except
that we stayed longer on the ridge before striking across to the saddle,
from which we went down to Glen Kinglass, where we ploughed
through heather and bogs till we reached the path which runs through
332 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal
the glen to the Kingshouse road. We tramped along this path as
hard as we could go, as we had to reach Bridge of Orchy at 5.5 to
catch the train to Tyndrum. The afternoon had now cleared up
considerably, and most of the Black Mount hills were clear of mist,
but Starav remained obstinately covered up. It was with great regret
that we could not delay and admire the view, but our haste was all
required, as we arrived at the station as the train passed the distant
signal. We were put down by it at Tyndrum, where we changed
stations, and after waiting some twenty minutes our train came in,
and we finally reached Edinburgh at 10.30, fully an hour late.
W. M. Wilson.
A Northern Ar^te of Braeriach. — In the Guide Book to the
Western Cairngorms mention has been made to No. 41, p. 56, of the
narrow ridge separating Coire an Lochain and Coire Ruadth as afford-
ing the only safe route in winter from the summit of Braeriach into
Glen Eunach. Much more interesting, however, is the companion
ar^te between Coire Ruadth and Coire Bennie, any reference to which
I have been unable to discover. To any virtue it may possess as a
view point — ^and the exhilarating prospect gained from it is not one to
be forgotten readily— may be added its charming narrowness, which
for a considerable distance is more nearly one foot than two. With its
summer appearance I have no acquaintance ; but a descent by it on
9th April, following an ascent from near the Pools of Dee, was a
fitting termination to the finest day enjoyed by a friend and myself
during a week's visit to these mountains. For convenience to mist-
enveloped climbers it may be added that the ar^te is almost due
north from the summit cairn, of which, however, on the occasion of
our visit, not a stone appeared above the snow.
Hugh Stewart.
LIFE MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION.
107 St Vincent Street,
Glasgow, 26th June 1905.
Dear Mr Editor,— At the last General Meeting in reference
to Life Membership Funds, "it was decided to remit to the Com-
mittee (Messrs Goggs, Naismith, and Napier) to consider how best
to deal with the funds arising therefrom, and to report regarding the
same to next General Meeting.
"It was (also) remitted to the Committee to bring up a report as
to appointment of Trustees for Life Membership Funds."
Excursions. 333
The Committee now submit the following proposals, which they
trust will meet with the approval of the members : —
1. That Messrs R. A. Robertson and A. E. Maylard (both ex-
Presidents) be appointed Trustees of all invested funds of the Club.
2. That a separate account should be opened to which all commu-
tation payments shall be credited.
3. That this account be credited with interest at 4 per cent,
annually on the balance brought forward each year, and also on any
commutations received each year, this interest to be debited against
the ordinary revenue of the Club.
4. That at the end of each year a sum of 12s. shall be transferred
from the Commutation Fund to the ordinary income of the Club for
each surviving member who has commuted.
I am, dear Sir, yours truly,
R. Graham Napier,
Hon. Treasurer.
XLVIII. D
MOUNTAINEERING LITERATURE
■♦♦^
"Twenty Years on Ben Nevis." By Wm. T. Kilgour. Paisley:
Alexander Gardner.
This is a memorial volume of somewhat miscellaneous character,
the author's chief qualifications being a love for, and acquaintance
with, Ben Nevis and its meteorological work. It is not a formal history
of the Observatories and it is not a scientific record of the work done
there, but it gives, in a number of interesting if rather haphazard
chapters, some account of each of these, added to many experiences
of the observers and their visitors. The author makes no profession
of being a mountaineer in any but the widest sense. Tliere is a
chapter headed " Mountaineering,'' in which the doings of the Club
are mentioned with no very obvious wish to imitate them. This
perhaps is not surprising when we learn that we think nothing of
driving a cornice tunnel twenty feet long. It is to be hoped too that
the author's description of rolling boulders over the edge will not lead
to the repetition of this performance when any climbing party is in the
neighbourhood. The account of the party who gave themselves up
for lost because they strayed from the path during an ascent on a
winter night, suggests chiefly the reflection that such a party had no
business to attempt any such ascent.
While the most of the matter is interesting, the style is often most
irritating on account of carelessness in the use of words. One can
guess what is meant by the " Broken " spectre, the " missives " hurled
about by the wind, and the ski-runners " deporting " themselves on the
snow, but " caligenous " glens are rather staggering. The expression
is " caligenous," if it means misty or anything like it.
Most of our members will doubtless concur heartily in the opinions
expressed regarding the closing of the Observatories, and the terribly
lame apologies which were made on behalf of the Government.
INDEX.
«♦<
ACCIDENT on Sgurr nan Gillean,
84.
A' Chioch, A' Chralaig, Guide Book,
270.
A' Chir, Arran, 28; ascent from the
Saddle, 37.
A' Chralaig, Guide Book^ 270.
A' Ghlas Bheinn, Guide Book^ 273.
Airgoid Bheinn, 172.
Alps, the, in 1903, 79-82; in 1904,
216-2x9.
Am Bathaiche, Guide Book, 260.
Am Bodach, Glencoe, 87.
Angel's Peak, Cairn Toul, 183.
Angles of snow in Scotland, 288.
An Riabhachan, Guide Book, 279.
An Ruadh Stac, 222.
An Sgarsoch, Guide Book, 176.
An Socach, 170.
An Socach, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan,
Guide Book, 276.
An Stac, Loch Aylort, 135.
Aonach air Chrith, Clunie, Guide Book,
262.
Aonach Beag, 105 ; N.E. ridge, 142-148.
Aonach Meadhoin, Guide Book, 269.
Aretes in Scotland, 289.
Arran — Brodick Bay, 12 ; Etymology,
14; Goatfell, 15; Cioch na h'
Oighe, 21 ; Glens Rosa and San-
nox, 22 ; The Saddle, 25 ; Beinn
Nuis, 25 ; Beinn Tarsuinn, 26 ;
The Bowmen's Pass, 26 ; A' Chir,
28; Cir Mhor, 29; Caisteal Ab-
hail, 30 ; Beinns Bhreac and Bhar-
rain, 31 ; Loch Coirein Lochain,
32 ; Loch Ranza, 33 ; Cock of
Arran, 34 ; South Arran, 34 ; de-
scent into Glen Sannox from the
** Saddle," 35-37 ; ascent of Cir
Mhor from ** Saddle," 37 ; times
for ascent, 38 ; books on Arran,
38 ; letter on, from G. B. Gibbs,
82 ; Geological Survey of, 92.
Avalanches recorded in Scotland, 289.
BAKER, E. A., "Moors, Crags,*'
&c., 92.
Balance, the advantage of a good bal-
ance in climbing, 286.
Beinn a Bha'ach Ard, Guide Book, 320.
Beinn a' Bhuird, 41, 47 ; route from
Braemar, 47 ; from Derry Lodge,
47. 182
Beinn a Chliabhain, Arran ; ascent of
chimney on, 87.
Ben Aden, 202.
Beinn a* Ghio, Guide Book, 172.
Ben Attow, Guide Book, 273.
Beinn Avon, Guide Book, 41, 42 ; The
Tors, 43 ; routes from Tomintoul,
44 ; from Ballater, 45 ; from
Crathie, 45 ; from Inver Inn, 46 ;
from Braemar, 46.
Ben Bhuidhe, 282.
Beinn Bynac, Guide Book, 41, 48.
Ben Chonzie on Ski, 133.
Beinn Dearg, Blair Atholl, Guide Book,
174,
Beinn Fhada, Guide Book, 273.
Beinn Fhionnlaidh, Guide Book, 277.
Beinn Mheadhoin, 183.
Ben Muich Dhui, 183.
Beinn nan Aighean, 282.
Ben Nevis — staircase climb, 86 ; Ob-
servatory Ridge, 86 ; N. Trident
Buttress, X04; Cam Mor Dearg,
105 ; Tower Gully Ridge Traverse,
X07 ; Gully on Meall-an-t-Suidhe,
109 ; Trident Buttress, 149 ; a
variation on the Staircase climb,
180; SUngsby's Chimney, 180, 219;
N. Castle (iuUy, 220 ; Tower
Ridge, 220; Trident Buttress, 221 ;
Staircase, 221 ; Observatory Ridge,
221.
Beinn Nuis, Arran, 25-26.
Beinn lutharn Beag, Guide Book, 170.
Beinn lutharn Mhor, Guide Book, 170.
Ben Lomond, ascent of chimney near
gully H, 87.
336 The Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal
Ben Lui, ascent of central gully, March
1904, 95-
Ben Sgroil, Guide Booky 209.
Ben Starav, an ascent from Dalmally,
330-332-
Beinn Tarsuinn, Arran, 26.
Beinn Tharsuinn, Guide Book, 323.
Ben Vrackie, Guide Book, 173.
Bergschrunds in Scotland, 290.
Berwickshire coast, 313-319*
Bidean an Eoin Deirg, Guide Book, 323.
Bidean Choire Sheasgaich, Guide Book,
324.
Bidean nam Bian, Church Door, 86.
Boot Nails, 283.
Bowmen's Pass, Arran, 26-28.
Braeriach, 118, 183, 332.
Braes of Angus, Guide Book, 125.
Braigh Coire Chruin Bhalgain, 172.
Broad Cairn Range, Guide Book, 58,
59, 62, 63.
Brodick Bay, charms of, 12-13.
Buchaille Etive Mor, ascent of ridge
left of D gully, 87, 182.
CAIPLICH, Guide Book, 41, 48.
Cairngorms — The Eastern, Guide
Book, 41, 1 10-120; camping in,
182, 183 ; from Deeside, 192.
Cairn na Glasha, Guide Book, 125.
Cairntoul, 184.
Cairn well. Guide Book, 167.
Caisteal Abhail, Arran, 30-31.
Camping in the Cairngorms, 182.
Cam a' Chlamain, Guide Book, 176.
Cam an Fhidleir, Guide Book, 176.
Cam an Righ, Guide Book, 170.
Cam Bhac, Guide Book, 171.
Cam Eige, Guide Book, 277.
Cam Fuaralach, Guide Book, 269.
Cam Ghluasaid, Guide Book, 270.
Cam Liath, 172.
Cam na Caim, 177.
Cam nam Fiaclan, Guide Book, 322.
Cam nan Gabhar, 172.
Cam nan Gobhar, Guide Book, 321.
Cashlie Forts, Glen Lyon, 245-248.
Castel Abhail — the need of compass
work in mist, 184.
Ceum na h-Aon Choise, Guide Book,
274.
Cioch na h' Oighe, 21-22.
Cir'Mhor, Arran, 29, 184.
Ciste Dhubh, Sgurr k Bhealaich.Dheirg,
Guide Book, 269.
Ciste Dhubh, Mam Sodhail, Guide
Book, 277.
Clach Glas, Skye, a new climb on,
328.
Climbing Ideal, A Purely, 1-3, 96.
Coire Odhar, A' Chralaig, Guide Book,
270.
Club Room, additions to Library, 75-
78, 255.
Clunie Forest, Guide Book, 262.
Clunie or Cluanie Inn as a climbing
centre, 263-264.
Creag a Chaoruinn, Guide Book, 27a
Creag a' Choir Aird, Guide Book, 276.
Creag a' Mh4im, Clunie, 232; Guide
Book, 262.
Creag Dhu, Kingussie, 11.
Creag Dhubh Mhor, Guide Book, 322.
Creag Ghlas, Sgurr nan Ceath-
reamhnan. Guide Book, 276.
Creag Ghorm a' Bhealaich, Guide Book,
321.
Creag Meaghaidh, 4-1 1.
Creag na Danih, Clunie, Guide Book,
262.
Creag nan Clachan Geala, Guide Book,
276.
Creag nan Damh, 231.
Creag Toll a* Choin, Guide Book, 322.
Crevasses in Scottish snow, 291.
Cock of Arran, 34.
Collie, J. N., "Canadian Rockies," 92.
Coolins, the new height of, 137.
Comices, 291.
Corrie Arder, Cliffs of, 4-1 1 ; Approach
on bicycles to Loch Laggan from
Dalwhinnie, 5-16; Pinnacle in-
spected, 7 ; Bridge of Snow, 7 ;
The Posts, 7; A climb on the
face, 8 ; Birds observed, 9 ; The
central "Post" climbed, 9-10;
Brocken Spectre, 10- 11.
Crois, climbs on, 309-312.
Crowberry Ridge of Buchaille Etive
Mor, Mr Naismith*s route, 304;
Mr Abraham's route, 304; Mr
Maclay's route, 306.
DRIESH, Guide Book, 125.
Drochaid an TuillEasaich, Guide
Book, 270.
Druim Sionnach, Clunie, Guide Book,
262.
FAIRY Knoll, Lochfyne, 329.
Fraochag, Guide Book, 258.
GAICK Forest, Guide Book, 177.
Garbh-bheinn of Ardgour, 106-
107, 139, 220.
Garbh Chioch Mor, 202.
Geological Survey of Arran, 92 ; of
Skye, 224.
Index.
337
Glas Maol, Guide Booky 125.
Glas Mheall Mor, Guide Book^ 177.
Glas Thulachan, Guide Book, 167.
Glen Finnan Hills, 134.
Glen Nevis, G)rrour to Fort- William,
X04.
Glen Rosa, Arran, 22-25.
Glen Sannox, Arran, 22-24.
Gleourach, Guide Book, 261.
Glissading as practised in Scotland,
291-294.
Goatfell — The derivation of name, 15 ;
different ways of ascent, 17-19;
view from summit, 19.
Gulvain, 134; Guide Book, 198.
MARKER, Alfred, "The Terti-
ary Igneous Rocks of Skye,"
Review, 224,
T CE on Scottish Rocks, 294.
KILGOUR, Wm. T., "Twenty
Years on Ben Nevis," Review,
334.
Kingshouse Hotel, tariff, 136.
LADHAR Beinn (Larven), Guide
Book, 206.
Lantern Slide Collection, 78, 210.
Library, the Club; additions to, in
1903. 75; in 1904, 121, 213.
Life Membership Subscription, letter
from W. Douglas, 88 ; from W.
Inglis Clark, 90 ; from R. Graham
Napier, 91 ; from N. B. Gunn,
138; from W. A. Smith, 138;
from the Treasurer, 332.
Loch Aylort Hills, 134-136.
Loch Coirein Lochain, Arran, 32.
Lochnagar, Guide Book, 49 ; the routes,
53-58 ; the top, 59-62 ; the climbs,
65-69 ; lochs and streams, 70.
Loch Ranta, Arran, 33.
Luinne Bheinn, Guide Book, 205.
Lurg Mhor, Guide Book, 324.
MAOILE Lunndaidh, Guide Book,
322.
Maol Cheann-Dearg, Clunie, Guide
Book, 262.
Mam Sodhail, Guide Book, 277.
Mam Soul, Guide Book, 277.
Mayar, Guide Book, 125.
Meall a' Bhealaich, Ben Attow, Guide
Book, 274.
Meall a* Chaoruinn, 177.
Meall a Chinn Dearg, 222.
Meall an Teanga, Guide Book, 197.
Meall Bhuiridh, Cruachan, No. 2 gully
ascended, 283.
Meall Buidhe, Loch Hourn, Guiiie
Book, 205.
Meall Cheann Dearg, 231.
Meall Mor, Guide Book, 324.
Meall na Cuaich, 177.
Moruisg, Guide Book, 325.
Mount Battock, Guide Book, 125.
Mount Blair, Guide Book, 166.
Mount Keen, Guide Book, 125.
Mullach Fraoch Choire, Guide Book,
270.
OFFICE-BEARERS of the S.M.C.
for 1904, 93 ; for 1905, 228.
PARR, Robert Kerr, In Memoriam,
185.
Plaide Mhor, Guide Book, 274.
Proceedings of the Club — Fifteenth
Annual General Meeting, 73 ; Re-
ception, 74 ; Fifteenth Annual
Dmner, Glasgow, 1903, 74 ; Ad-
ditions to Qub Library, 75; Ad-
ditions to Lantern Slide Collection,
78; Fort- William Meet, January
1904, 100 ; Aviemore Meet, Easter
1905, 1x0; Sixteenth Annual
General Meeting, 210; Reception
in Royal Arch Hall, 211 ; Six-
teenth Annual Dinner, Edinburgh,
1904, 211 ; Loch Awe Meet, Janu-
Aiy I905t 249 ; Sligachan Sfeet,
Easter 1905, 251 ; Kingshouse
Meet, Easter 1905, 252.
" P ANDOM Musings," by A. Stair
rV Gillon, 187- 191.
SADDLE, The, Arran, 25 ; descent
into Glen Sannox, 35-36.
Saddle, The, 230, 231 ; Guide Book,
258.
Sail Chaoruinn, Guide Book, 270.
Saileag Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg,
Guide Book, 269.
Saoiter Mor Mam Sodhail, Guide Book,
277.
St Abb*s Head, 313-319.
Scour Garioch, 202.
Sgoran Dubh, Attempt on the Rose
ridge, 118, 119; Ascent of Rose
ridge, 152.
Sgor an Fhuarain, 202.
Sgor Choileam, Guide Book, 200.
Sgor Coireachan, 134.
338
Tlu Scottish Mountaineering Club JoumaL
Sgor na Ciche Group, Guick Book,
202.
Sgor nan Coireachan, 202.
Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg, Guide Book^
268-9.
Sgurr a Chaoruinn, Guide Book^ 323.
Sgurr a' Choir Ghlais, Guide Book^ 32a
Sgurr a' Choire Gharbh, Guide Book^
274.
Sgurr a' Dubh Dhoire, Guide Bookj
274.
Sgurr a* Mhaoraich, Guide Bookj 260.
Sgurr a' Mhuilinn, Guide Booky 326.
Sgurr Alasdair, 2.
Sgurr an Doire Leathain, Clunie, Guide
Booky 262.
Sgurr an t-Scarraich, Guide Book, 266.
Sgurr Coire na Feinne, Clunie, Guide
Book, 262.
Sgurr Dubh Mhor, Skye, ascent of,
from Glen Brittle, 299.
Sgurr Fhuaran, 230 ; Guide Book,
266268.
Sgurr Fhuar-thuill, Guide Book, 321.
Sgurr Gaorsaic, Guide Book, 276.
Sgurr Leac nan Each, Guide Book,
258.
Sgurr na Camach, Guide Book, 267.
Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, Guide Book,
267.
Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, 231.
Sgurr na Creige, the Saddle, Guide
Book, 258.
Sgurr na Festig, 321.
Sgurr na Forcan, Guide Book, 258.
Sgurr na Fuar-tholl, Guide Book, 267.
Sgurr na Lapaich, Guide Book, 279.
Sgurr na Moraich, Guide Book, 266.
Sgurr na Muice, 321.
Sgurr nan Cam, 230.
Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan, Guide
Book, 275.
Sgurr nan Conbhairean, Gttide Book,
270.
Sgurr nan Gillean, accident to Mr
Allen, 84-85.
Sgurr nan Saighead, Guide Book, 266.
Sgurr na Sgine, 231 ; Guide Book, 258.
Sgurr na Spainteach, Guide Book, 267.
Sgurr Ruadh, 221.
Sgurr Ruadh of Sgurr a' Choir Ghlais,
Shiel Inn, 229.
Skiing — On Ben Chonzie, 133; at
Fort -William, 157; presentation
of Ski to the Club, 185 ; notice
regarding, 223 ; in Scotland, 295.
Skye — The heights of the hills as given
in New Survey, 137.
Sligachan Inn, tariff, 136.
Sligachan Climbers* Book, 137.
Slingsb/s " Norway," 92.
S.M.C. abroad in 1903, 79; in 1904,
216.
Smith, W. A., "The Pentland Hills,"
Review, 226.
Snow, Scottish, 285-298.
Spidean Mialach, Guide Book, 261.
Sron a Choire Ghairbh, Guide Book,
197.
Sron Creise, 181.
Step cutting, 295.
Stoo Ban, Glen Nevis, 107.
Stob Gabhar, Blackmount, 181.
Streaps, The, Guide Book, 199.
Stuc Beag, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan,
Guide Book, 276.
Stuchd an Lochain, 235-244.
Stuc Mor, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan,
Guide Book, 276.
TIGH Mor, A' Chralaig, Guide Book,
270.
Tolmount, Guide Book, 125.
Tom a' Choinich, Guide Book, 277.
Tuill Creagach, Guide Book, 277.
w
ITCH'S Step, Arran, 184.
YORKSHIRE Ramblers' Club,
dinner of, 137.
V
ERSES on Ben Lui, by T. Fraser
S. Campbell, 98.
Printed at Thk Daribn Prbss, Edinburgh.
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