The weekend of 13^th/14^th October saw the Club return to the ever-popular Glen Brittle Memorial Hut in Skye. Not only is it comfortable and spacious but with the Cuillin ridge rising right from its door it is superbly located as well. The weather forecast appropriately enough was Minginish – but in fact it turned out to be not quite as bad as predicted although the factor 50 remained in rucksacks.

Members Attending

Jim Aire, Wallace Booth, Angus Campbell, Bill Dallas, Raymond Evenden, James Fraser, George Henderson, Susan Henderson, Mike Lever, Paddy Marrs, Louise McCulloch, Alan Orr, Mike Partington, Norrie Shand, Ewan Stewart, Mike Winton

Guests

Blair Fraser, Linda Gentleman, Louise Kelly, Katie Wallace

James and son, Blair had been up in Kintail/Skye for a couple of days and on the Friday headed for Blaven – keen to confirm the rumours that there was indeed a trig pillar at the summit. Although it was windy, they were rewarded, some of time at least, with spells of bright sunshine. [Norrie was not present, but he assures us he knows the way already Ed.]

They weren’t the only ones with that idea as Mike Lever (solo ascent) and two other teams – Angus/Linda and Paddy/Ewan also set off to scale this magnificent Cuillin outlier which, in the right conditions, affords fantastic views over to the main ridge. The groups met at various points and team photos were taken. It may have been just a bit windy on top!

George and Susan kept their powder dry(ish) with a stroll up the sub2000 Beinn a’ Bhraghad on the west side of Glen Brittle. The reward for their efforts was a stupendous view over to the main ridge. George may have intoned “far on a horizon, I see the rocking of the antlered Cuillin”, though most sources would credit Sorley Maclean.

Mike Winton and Wallace had arranged to meet at the hut around midday with a view to knocking off some of the munros on the main ridge that Mike still had to do. It was definitely more than a 4-club wind at hut level though and they settled for a tramp down to the camp site café with Louise K and Katie.

Norrie was still recovering from an ankle operation and had been appointed Base Camp Coordinator for the weekend – a role not made any easier by the absence of Wi-Fi and phone signal at the hut.

During the afternoon/evening everyone arrived and the usual variety of gourmet meals (well that’s what it said on the packet) were enjoyed and washed down with a glass or two beverages of choice. Plans A, B right though to Z were discussed and debated for the following day. 

Norrie, keen to make some contribution to the weekend, got out his guitar and beguiled the group with some tuneful melodies (this description may need to be independently fact checked!).

Bedtimes were staggered (in some cases literally) with a few settling for an early night whilst those with the strongest constitution kept the candles burning well after midnight. Alan was in a particularly happy place as he eventually pattered upstairs.

The hut was a hive of activity on Saturday morning, juices fuelled by the sight of a white sprinkling on the ridge.

James and Blair were first to leave, heading out of the glen and round to Sligachan where their sights were set on the Cuillin’s three westerly Munros, previously unclimbed by Blair. Sgurr nan  Gillean was to be tackled first and an abseil rope had been packed to aid the vertiginous downclimbs.  However, Fraser’s Way in this instance ensured that the ascent would be equally vertiginous as a side-step from the “tourist route” saw them gain the infamous Pinnacle Ridge. Some inventive manoeuvres followed which eventually saw them attain the summit having endured a brief snowstorm just to keep the adrenaline levels topped up. Deciding wisely that their day had contained enough adventure, they carefully retraced their steps and drove back round to base. As a bonus, their long day enabled them to enjoy some great views over to Blaven as the sun began to set.

If Blaven had been the “Chef’s Special” on Friday, then on Saturday in was certainly Sgurr na Banachdich. 

Wallace and Mike W headed up from the hut towards Coire na Banachdich and ascended the Munro from there. Mike still had two pairs of Munros to do north and south of this summit but the blustery winds and underfoot conditions meant a prudent decision was made to settle for the one tick. A swift descent to the Youth Hostel was followed by a tramp down the glen back to the hut.

Bill and Louise M also set off to bag Sgurr na Banachdich, but their approach took them up round the foot of the Inn Pin where a guide and his client were negotiating the “improbable tower”. From there they scooted along the ridge to their target Munro where Louise safely doubled her Skye tally enjoying (or not) sunshine and snow showers.

The 5-a-side team of Linda, Angus, Paddy, Ewan and Mike P had the same objective and their route started with a march up the road to the Youth Hostel. There followed a fine walk past the burn tumbling down Coire a Ghreadaidh before turning west into Coire an Eich  and a relatively easy scramble up onto Sgurr na Banachdich. Job done, they returned via the ascent route.

Mike Lever had travelled up from Merseyside in the hope of knocking off a few of his remaining Skye Munros before his compleation set for next September. George, Susan and Jim teamed up with him and they “enjoyed” a stomp up the An Stac screes to approach this lofty summit along its north ridge. Collies Ledge then took them round to the Bealach Mhic Coinnich. Sgurr Thearlaich, a precarious scramble in the conditions, was bypassed by descending part of the way down the Great Stone Chute. The ridge was regained at the top of the chute and some fairly straightforward scrambling saw them finally gain the summit of the Cuillin’s highest peak, the commanding and imposing Sgurr Alasdair. After scrambling back down to the saddle atop the chute they dropped into Coire Lagan and the trek back along the path.

Raymond had a knee issue so wasn’t able to get himself up onto the ridge. Accompanied by Alan though, they had a hugely enjoyable 15k walk out the Rubha an Dùnain, a peninsula stretching out from the beach at Glen Brittle. As well as affording superb views of the Cuillin ridge (and the Rum Cuillin as well) the area is steeped in history. There are ruins, chambered cairns and a canal dug out by Vikings enabling a shipyard in the loch. They even managed to find the bridge over the surging burn that caused a group ahead of them to retreat!

Katie and Louise K felt sorry for Norrie and drove him down to café at the camp site, on its last weekend of the season. The coffee was excellent – as were the pastries.

Norrie was dropped off back the hut whilst the girls headed northwest to the captivating Talisker Bay. There is a rare (for Skye) sandy beach and a fine waterfall dropping down to the sea – except when it is really windy when the water never actually gets to the bottom of the drop. A quick visit was made to the Talisker distillery in Carbost on the return journey – although they might have seen plenty of the stuff the previous night.

After everyone had showered, eaten, and at least partially rehydrated it was time for Saturday Night at the Movies – well as near as we were going to get. Most members had submitted photos taken in the previous 12 months to be considered for inclusion in the 2024 45 Degrees MC calendar. Bill had collated them and projected them onto the wall so that all present could vote for which ones would make the final cut – one per month. There were some excellent entries, and  the final selections once again will produce an effort fit to grace any wall. Sadly, some exceptional entries had to be discarded but they may well be included in the “B-Sides and Outtakes” album at some time in the future.

The days adventures were recounted during the rest of the evening and mental and physical exhaustion meant that not too much midnight oil was burnt.

Sunday morning came down, and all hands did their bit to ensure the hut was left clean and tidy. With a long drive back home for everyone there were no plans to climb any more hills on Sunday.

The exception was Wallace who stopped of at the Sligachan on the way home and marched up the scree slopes of Glamaig to its Corbett summit, Sgurr Mhari. It is fair to say that Gurkah Harkabir Thapa’s time (in bare feet!) of 55 minutes wasn’t threatened.

Another great weekend had passed with everyone looking forward to their next trip to the Misty Isle.