Category: Old Duffers

Knoydart (24th-25th May 2014)

For the first part of this year’s Spring Bank Holiday week in the Highlands, Alison, Ruth and I spent the weekend backpacking in Knoydart. We got the first ferry in to Inverie on Saturday morning and completed a strenuous circuit of three Munros and two Corbetts, just catching the last ferry out on Sunday afternoon!

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Loch Hourn

DC’s stag weekend (16th-18th May 2014)

I went to Snowdonia for DC’s stag weekend, based at the Snowdon House bunkhouse in Nant Peris. On the Saturday, we went on a ‘Go Below’ underground adventure in a disused slate mine in Cwm Penmachno, followed by a barbecue back at the bunkhouse. After a leisurely start on Sunday, we did a short walk up Y Garn and then visited a tea-shop in Llanberis before heading home.

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The group: James, Tom, Alex, Alex, DC and Gordon.

Galloway (3rd-5th May 2014)

Ruth, Alex and I headed to the quiet and remote hills of Galloway for the Bank Holiday weekend – an area none of us had visited before. Over Saturday and Sunday we did a 50km backpacking expedition from Loch Doon over the Rhinns of Kells, Dungeon Hills, Merrick and Shalloch on Minnoch, camping near the outflow from Loch Enoch at just below 500m. Sadly most of the summits were in the cloud, but we enjoyed being in the wilderness and got lots of opportunity to practice our compass bearings! On Monday we completed the Galloway Corbetts with a morning walk up Cairnsmore of Carsphairn before heading home.

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Alex and Ruth below Craignaw

Brecon Beacons (11th-13th April 2014)

I met up with eight other Duffers for a weekend in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park, staying at Ynysmarchog Bunkhouse in Trecastle. Good walks on the Black Mountain on Saturday and above Heol Senni on Sunday allowed me to tick off all my remaining South-Welsh Nuttalls, and I also managed to fit in ascents of the Sugar Loaf on Friday evening and Ysgyryd Fawr on the way home!

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Looking west from Fan Nedd’s northern cairn to Fan Gyhirych and the Black Mountain

CUHWC 25th Anniversary weekend (21st-23rd February 2014)

Nearly a hundred current and former members of CUHWC congregated at High Close YHA, in Langdale, to celebrate the club’s 25th Anniversary. Saturday was mostly dry for a good walk over the snowy summits of Bowfell and Esk Pike, before the evening’s black-tie dinner, speeches, singing etc. Sunday was wet and windy so we opted for a leisurely start followed by pub lunch at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel!

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East Dining Room

Kenilworth and the Cotswolds (7th-9th February 2014

Along with a few other Duffers, I visited Tom and Helen in Kenilworth for the weekend. On the Saturday, we did a local walk to Hatton and back, and on the Sunday, we headed to the Cotswolds for a walk taking in the Marilyn of Cleeve Hill (for me) and a section of the Cotswold Way (for Tom and Helen).

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Descending into Breakheart Plantation

Arisaig (28th December 2013 – 4th January 2014)

For this year’s Old Duffers’ New Year trip, we stayed at Borrodale House near Arisaig, a few miles south of Mallaig. Despite the forecast of unsettled, stormy weather, the wind and rain were not severe and we managed five good hill days. Seven new Corbetts, including the five in Moidart, took my total to 57. An excellent start to 2014!

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Alex and Ruth below Beinn Odhar Bheag

Maurienne valley, French Alps (11th-25th August 2013)

This year’s main summer holiday was to the Marienne valley in the French Alps, with Ruth, Alison, Ian and Emma. Staying in the village of Termignon, we spent eleven days sampling the excellent walking, scrambling, via ferrata and mountaineering in and around the Vanoise National Park. We then spread the drive home over a few days to visit a few cities and sights along the way.

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Pointe de l’Échelle

Ian and Emma’s Stag/Hen weekend (28th-30th June 2013)

I went up to eastern Cumbria for Ian and Emma’s joint Stag/Hen weekend, staying at Bents Camping Barn near Kirkby Stephen. Among other activities including canoeing on Ullswater and a pub dinner in Ravenstonedale (of which no photos), we did two short walks in the nearby limestone fells, fortuitously including two HuMPs!

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The group above Bents Camping Barn

Assynt (27th May – 1st June 2013)

Ruth, Jo and Alison stayed up in the Highlands with me for the week following my Munro completion. For the first few days, we headed to Assynt, where we camped at Ardmair Point and had fantastic weather for substantial walks on Ben More Assynt and Conival (plus the Corbett of Glas Bheinn), Cul Mor and Cul Beag, and An Teallach (plus a few Munro Tops!). On Friday we drove down to Glen Shiel, pausing en route to climb Ben Wyvis in the rain, and on Saturday we climbed Ben Tee before the long drive home. 44 Corbetts down, 177 to go!

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Looking over Loch an Doire Dhuibh to Stac Pollaidh

Munro completion weekend (25th-27th May 2013)

After six years of dedicated bagging, the Bank Holiday weekend was the appointed date of my Munro completion. We stayed in Edinburgh on Friday and Saturday nights, making a day-trip to the Lomond Hills on Saturday before going to watch Ausma play with the Meadows Orchestra. Then on Sunday, fourteen friends joined me for the ascent of Schiehallion, my final Munro, with champagne and cake on the summit and a celebratory dinner afterwards at the Loch Tummel Inn. On Monday, a few of us climbed the nearby Corbett of Beinn a’ Chuallaich.

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Heading up the ridge of Schiehallion

Fort William (29th March – 2nd April 2013)

As usual, I headed to the Highlands for the long Easter weekend. An awesome few days in the hills with sunshine every day, snow on the high ground, and probably the best air clarity I’ve seen in Scotland. Hills were mainly chosen based on the others’ bagging needs this time, but I did tick off a couple of new Corbetts and a Munro Top!

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Looking WSW over Sgurr Choinnich Beag to the western Mamores

Aviemore and Kingussie (27th December 2012 – 5th January 2013)

This year’s Duffers’ New Year trip was to Kingussie, where fifteen of us rented a spacious and comfortable ‘cottage’, the former posthouse. This proved to be an excellent base for walks in the Cairngorms and Monadhliath, and we managed to reach a summit every day, despite strong winds all week. A few of us spent a couple of days in Aviemore before the main trip started. I ticked off three new Munros (281 down, 1 to go!) plus five that I’d done before, two Corbetts and two smaller Marilyns, plus a few Tops.

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Fantastic winter light over Carn Dearg