An Socach

After sucessfully bagging Clisham last summer, Herbie was keen to get his teeth into something bigger and more challenging. With the time fast approaching, a few weeks ago I was a little concerned with the large amount of snow on the ground. But in the last few weeks, the temperatures had risen dramatically and spring was now in the air. I had set our sights on An Socach, near Glenshee in the Cairngorms. It was one that I hadn't done before and I mainly picked it because it looked quite a straightforward day and there weren't any slopes on the map that looked particularly steep.

Herbie on the bridge at the entrance to Baddock with Sgor Mor behind, Cairngorms

Red Deer on the side of Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

We left Edinburgh before 7:30am and were walking by 9:30am - we made good time on the roads without the traffic. We parked by the bridge at the side of the A93 at the head of Glen Clunie. Looking around, the hills were black and the ski runs were very patchy and far from complete; I was quite shocked at just how quickly the thaw had taken place. I was beginning to regret only packing my winter boots and leaving my lighter summer ones at home.

Looking Northeast back down to Baddoch from Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

Looking West up to the main ridge from Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

We crossed the bridge and set off up the track past the old farmhouse in Baddoch Glen. We made good progress along the track and we raced along chatting and enjoying the clear skies and mild weather. After about 4km we arrived at the Alt Coire Fhearneasg and, after crossing it (needing walking poles to do this), headed up the gentle slopes of Coire Fhearneasg. We were still yet to encounter any snow and I was keen for my Dad to get a taste of what it was like walking in it. The guide books suggest following a worn path up the East shoulder to gain the summit but I had other ideas. From the map, I could see that we could continue up the more gentle slopes of the corrie to the bealach just North of the main ridge and I could see from looking up that it still had a generous amount of snow covering it.

Looking Northeast back down to Baddoch from a snowy An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

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As we neared the bealach, we finally got stuck into some snow - allbeit quite thin and 'crispy' on top. To make things interesting, the ground was mostly peat hag and covered in heather: not at all uniform underfoot. Herbie had a great time laughing at me leading the way and falling through the snow into every hole possible, while I was not ammused...

Heading up to the An Socach ridge through the snow, Cairngorms

Herbie enjoying the snow with the Northern Cairngorms behind

On reaching the bealach, we were treated to spectacular views North into the Northern Cairngorms - still quite snowy but clearly thawing. I pushed on and kicked steps as Herbie followed behind; cursing more and more with every step he took. One final push saw us at the first stoney top admiring the views all around. Herbie was delighted to hear that the climbing for the day was now finished and all we had to do was dander along the wide ridge to the actual summit.

Herbie working hard in the snow to gain the An Socach ridge, Northern Cairngorms behind

Looking West along the An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

We soon got there and celebrated with the traditional father and son embrace at the small wind shelter made out of stones. The wind had now picked up and we were getting blown around a little so we didn't hang around too long - but the view was truly spectacular and uninterrupted all around. We retraced our steps to the col halfway along the main ridge and then followed the Allt Boruiche back down to the main track and back towards Baddock.

Looking South from the summit of An Socach, Cairngorms

Looking East back along the An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

Herbie was over the moon to have bagged his first Munro and was beaming all the way back to Edinburgh. I was really pleased with how the day had gone and it was great that Herbie got to experience some snow (what was left of it). A fantastic day.

Herbie and I on the summit of An Socach, Cairngorms

Looking Southwest to Creag Easgaidh on the descent from An Socach, Cairngorms

Heading along the track back down to Baddock at the end of the rainbow, Cairngorms

Red Deer, Cairngorms

Baddock with Creag nan Gabhar behind, Cairngorms

Braid Hills

It had been my first attempt at the winter season and I had managed to pack in a bit of winter walking  (with some group leading) and my first winter climb. There had been a great deal of snow and quite a harsh winter, but the temperature is quickly rising and there is now the sense of spring in the air. The crocuses were out across the road and it was a lovely mild night - too good to waste.

Crocuses in Morningside, Edinburgh

Crocuses in Morningside, Edinburgh

Crocuses in Morningside, Edinburgh

Emily and I headed out straight after work in the hope of making the most of the fading light. We decided to do the usual circuit: first heading up Blackford Hill, down through Blackford Glen, then up to the top of The Braids before coming back down to Morningside.

Looking North over Edinburgh from Braid Hills

It was a very mild night and the air was extremely clear. We had a great view over Edinburgh in all directions from Blackford Hill. We were perfectly comfortable in our short sleeves as we huddled with the crowds of got-walkers through Blackford Glen.

Looking Northeast over Edinburgh from Braid Hills

By the time we got to the top of The Braids, the light was fading and views over Edinburgh were even more dramatic. We were reminded that winter was still in the air as the temperature quickly dropped and the last of the light disappeared. A lovely evening.

At the top of Braid Hills, Edinburgh

Skiing at Glenshee

After a great day bagging Driesh and Mayar yesterday, most of the GWC staff were heading back down the road to Edinburgh to get back before dark. However, as we were this far North I wanted to make the most of the time we had in the wintery conditions. A few of us decided to head to Glenshee to get a day in skiing. I had been skiing in Andorra and Austria before a few years ago but I had never skied in Scotland; this seemed like a good opportunity as there was so much snow about.

A snowy Glenshee with all lifts open!

A group of us left early, said goodbye to the others and set off up the road to Glenshee. As we approached the ski centre, we could see just how good the runs looked; they all had a good covering of powder. I had driven through this way a couple of times in winter in the past but the runs never looked anywhere near as good as they did today. It was also clear that many other folk had the same idea as we did - the car park was rammed with families.

James adjusting his skis, Glenshee

After we had braved the crowds to hire skis, boots, poles and purchase our lift passes, we headed for the slopes. I was a little unsteady at first so took a bit of time to get my ski legs and ski head back on with a few easy runs down on the Carn Aosda side before heading up for a few runs on The Cairnwell. The runs were in great condition and the skiing was just as good (if not better) than what I remember experiencing in Austria a few years ago.

Glenshee skiing

After a while we headed across the road to the runs on the Meall Odhar side. I wasn't sure what to expect here because I had never seen these tows running before today. To my surprise, there seemed to be even more snow and even better skiing on this side! There was so much snow that you could pretty much ski on any part of the mountain and there was little to distinguish between what was a 'run' and what wasn't. We had great fun skiing down the small valley to the North of Glas Maol.

After a full day on the slopes, we were treated to a fantastic orange glow of the sun setting to the West above the snowy Cairngorms - what a day and what a weekend!

Sunset over Glenshee

Driesh and Mayar

Last night I joined up with a few folk from GWC who were on their annual Projects Staff Training weekend. This year the base was the Glen Clova hotel and bunkhouse. Richard G and I had been asked to lead a walk on the Saturday so we drove up late last night in Richard's car.

Looking back down the Glendoll Forest track to Cairn Derg, Glen Clova

Taking a breather in Glendoll before the assault on Mayar

From reading the conditions blogs on the web, I knew that there had been a lot of snow recently and there was even more still on the ground. With this in mind, we didn't fancy doing anything too serious so a circular route taking in Driesh and Mayar seemed like the easiest and most sensible option. In the morning, it meant that we only had a short drive up the road to the car park at Acharn.

Heading up the steep snow slopes in Corrie Fee, Glen Clova

Nearing the top of Corrie Fee, Glen Clova

There was a lot of snow on the ground, as we made our way through the Glendoll Forest and into Corrie Fee. It was a fine day with sun and a clear blue sky - a classic high-pressure day. Many of the group hadn't walked in snow before so Richard and I talked about how to use an ice axe for walking. We had crampons but we didn't need them because there wasn't any ice and the snw was deep and soft.

Approaching the top of Mayar with cornices on Craig Renner and Craig Mellon

Looking west from Mayar over the snowy Cairngorms

It was a bit of a slog up the gully at the end of Corrie Fee but once at the top the ascent was almost done for the day. At the top of Mayar we had a fantastic view over the Cairngorms and we were able to see just how much snow there had been; the hills were covered and well-rounded. We could also see quite a few large cornices at the top of the crags surrounding Glen Clova.

The group on the summit of Driesh

Looking North from Driesh over the snowy Cairngorms

After bagging Mayar we tramped over to the summit of Driesh for more stunning views of the snowy surrounding hills. Our descent took us along the ridge over the Hill of Strone before heading down to the bealach between Cairn Inks and Cairn of Barns. From here we descended Northwest back down to the Hotel for hot showers. A great day for everyone.

On our way down from Driesh, Cairngorms

Glen Clova - Driesh and Mayar from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.