Author Topic: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017  (Read 6090 times)

jontea

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T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« on: 23:36:36, 21/10/17 »
A full report of how we got on during the weekend of 14th October 17 in the Highlands, staying at the SYHA Glencoe. The Ballachulish Horseshoe and it's two Munro's of Sgorr Dhearg at over 3,360ft and Sgorr Dhonuill 3,284ft were the target summits for Saturdays walking, but it didn't go to plan  :(


http://johntrowsdale.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/glencoe-weekend.html

Walking is the world’s oldest exercise and today’s modern medicine.

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adalard

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #1 on: 09:06:55, 22/10/17 »
Shame about the weather, Jontea, but it sounds like a good time was still had by all. Enjoyed reading the trip report.  :) O0

Mel

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #2 on: 10:50:20, 22/10/17 »
Nice write up jontea.  I love the pic looking down Glen Coe with the low cloud and the mountains either side  O0

sparnel

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #3 on: 17:42:41, 22/10/17 »
Great write up and photos! Enjoyed reading it..............

Dovegirl

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #4 on: 19:54:51, 22/10/17 »
Enjoyed the TR jontea    :)    Glad everyone had a good time despite the weather

redeye

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #5 on: 20:46:01, 22/10/17 »
Enjoyed that and also the newlands round on your blog. I did that this year but the other way round and in different but equally fantastic conditions. Nice one  O0

jontea

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #6 on: 06:49:41, 23/10/17 »
Thanks guys for the kind comments, glad you enjoyed the write up.  O0
Walking is the world’s oldest exercise and today’s modern medicine.

https://www.johntrowsdaleart.com/

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midweekmountain

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #7 on: 11:15:08, 25/10/17 »
I used to do trips like this years ago, nowadays I have learnt if you use a bit of nous there really is no need to do bad weather.

This weekend we looked at the forecast and went to the Dales that weekend, twas brill.

Over the years I have played the wet weather game many times and learnt more than a few lessons so here are a few tips.


1/Don't blindly book expensive accomodation way in advance coz you have idea what the weather will be doing on the day.

A great alternative is to join one of the major mountaineering clubs that give access to a network of accomodation across every mountain area in the UK without having to book weeks in advance.

My tip is to fix a date for a trip then ring round the group 24hrs before before and decide the venue, pending the weather.
There is a choice of last minute accomodation in Cornwall,South Wales, North Wales, Peak, Dales, Lakes, several areas of Scotland, its rarely wet everywhere in the UK.

You cannot control the weather BUT this way you can pick the best of what is on offer.

Plus its a fraction of the cost of a YHA so your onto a win/win...........


2/If you do get caught with bad weather in Glencoe, stay low, In the past when faced with situations like this I have found the solution to be the coast, check the map of the Glencoe area of Scotland, it has dozens of mini peninsula’s all of them are potential coastal walks.

My favorite is to take the Coran ferry  and head south. Look for a blister of land jutting out into the sea. It gives a great day out stunning scenary with optional scrambling, very similar to the Aonach Eagach, there is even a bothy half way to have your lunch in..........


3/The Balachullish Horseshoe is a tough walk cos it starts at almost sea level (most munros are tough compared to english/welsh hills).

The best/easiest/safest wet weather Munro in Glencoe is Aonach Beag, cos its a roadside hill, good paths and you start walking from the top of a pass, well worth saving this one for a wet day...........


4/You will drive past some superb hills on the way too and back from Glencoe that may be dryer than your final venue.
Over the years many wet Scottish Sundays have been saved by dry weather on the way home.

Contenders for this are Arrochar Alps, the little known Moffat area is superb, like Lake District hills perched next to the M74.  Have even done things like Blencathra and Cross fell after being rained out of Scotland.

Even now when I travel to Scotland to do my Munros I normally bag a hill driving north and another one or sometimes two on the way home..........

ljmeerkat75

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #8 on: 21:59:07, 25/10/17 »
Nice write up and photos John beautiful place Glencoe even when the weather is pants hopefully I will get back this winter

Strider

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #9 on: 22:47:06, 25/10/17 »
Cheers for posting John, looks like you nabbed our usual table in the corner of the Clachaig.
Not all those who wander are lost

Ridge

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #10 on: 08:29:04, 26/10/17 »
Great report and pictures John. Shame about the weather, it's a long way to go to get wet.

jontea

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #11 on: 19:21:37, 26/10/17 »
Nice write up and photos John beautiful place Glencoe even when the weather is pants hopefully I will get back this winter


Thanks Luke, it's a long way but worth it  O0


Cheers for posting John, looks like you nabbed our usual table in the corner of the Clachaig.


Thanks mate, just luck with the table Colin, happy to get any table we could in there, great pub but always chocker of an evening  ;) 


Great report and pictures John. Shame about the weather, it's a long way to go to get wet.


Thanks Mark, yeah it is a long way, but I don't mind walking in wet weather or winds up to a point. We still had a great time, and hopefully the next one will be drier. O0
« Last Edit: 19:29:56, 26/10/17 by jontea »
Walking is the world’s oldest exercise and today’s modern medicine.

https://www.johntrowsdaleart.com/

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yorksgal

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #12 on: 19:29:11, 26/10/17 »
Midweekmountain


Im sure you didn’t purposely mean to sound condescending but unfortunately for you I’m afraid you achieved this.


Jontea organised this meet and its ran at this time of year for over three years. We don’t “Blindly book expensive accommodation” £34 for a weekend in Glencoe is fantastic value for money.


Your tip about waiting till the 24 hours before is again not really valid. People were travelling from Wales, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Scotland. We travelled up the day before and enjoyed the hospitality of the clachaig inn. We all had to book time off work to be able to do this trip so it really has to be organised.

Major mountaineering clubs are just that. “Mountaineering” clubs. They pander to the elitism in mountaineering and always seem to be a closed organisation for climbers not walkers. Even the BMC seems to be taking this elitist stance too. Being that we are all walkers none of us are members or aspire to be members of a Major mountaineering club.

We enjoy a laugh, a pint a well cooked meal and a lot of good will. No snobbery just a group of like minded individuals enjoying the hills in a really nice location. We all know what we are getting into and what we want to achieve.

This meet was stopped due to bad weather but I hope this will allow others to see that this is a fantastic opportunity to join a nice group of people and explore areas of the country they might not have seen. They should also be happy to see we are not gung ho and we were all perfectly happy to turn around and not push on in a difficult situation. We were all sensible about our limits and we all agreed to turn around.
« Last Edit: 19:34:04, 26/10/17 by yorksgal »

ljmeerkat75

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #13 on: 20:42:20, 26/10/17 »
Midweekmountain


Im sure you didn’t purposely mean to sound condescending but unfortunately for you I’m afraid you achieved this.


Jontea organised this meet and its ran at this time of year for over three years. We don’t “Blindly book expensive accommodation” £34 for a weekend in Glencoe is fantastic value for money.


Your tip about waiting till the 24 hours before is again not really valid. People were travelling from Wales, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Scotland. We travelled up the day before and enjoyed the hospitality of the clachaig inn. We all had to book time off work to be able to do this trip so it really has to be organised.

Major mountaineering clubs are just that. “Mountaineering” clubs. They pander to the elitism in mountaineering and always seem to be a closed organisation for climbers not walkers. Even the BMC seems to be taking this elitist stance too. Being that we are all walkers none of us are members or aspire to be members of a Major mountaineering club.

We enjoy a laugh, a pint a well cooked meal and a lot of good will. No snobbery just a group of like minded individuals enjoying the hills in a really nice location. We all know what we are getting into and what we want to achieve.

This meet was stopped due to bad weather but I hope this will allow others to see that this is a fantastic opportunity to join a nice group of people and explore areas of the country they might not have seen. They should also be happy to see we are not gung ho and we were all perfectly happy to turn around and not push on in a difficult situation. We were all sensible about our limits and we all agreed to turn around.
It did seem a little condescending tbh I have had many a good mountain day in lousy weather
I remember going up Siabod's Ddaer du ridge just as storm Desmond started hitting the forecast expected it much later in the day it was an experience or getting caught in a blizzard on the Carneddau also the last Tryfan meet we did wasn't good a wet start and end also very windy on the tops but we all had a good day
It's a case of you pays your money and you take your chance with arranging a mountain day in advance but good company in fantastic setting always makes it worthwhile
If you only go into the mountains on fair weather days in the UK you don't get out all that often
I think the Haggis at the Clachaig is worth the trip itself
« Last Edit: 21:12:48, 26/10/17 by ljmeerkat75 »

Glyno

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Re: T/R Glencoe Forum meet 2017
« Reply #14 on: 21:00:43, 26/10/17 »
still reeling them in I see



 

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