Weather in Scotland so far in 2026 had been nothing short of abysmal, especially for those on the north and east sides of the country. Great hillwalking days had been very few and far between. There was a big BUT though for the club’s February meet – an unexpected but very welcome weather window signalled bright sunshine and crisp snowy hill conditions. Excitement was rife!

The venue for the weekend was the Alex MacIntyre Hut in North Ballachulish – very handy for Glencoe, the Mamores and Ben Nevis. Sadly, the hut itself has seen better days with meagre heating in the main sitting room and a lack of basic essentials. Hopefully the planned refurbishment will restore the hut to its former glories as befits the memory of a fine young mountaineer taken too soon whilst climbing in Nepal.

Members Attending: Jim Aire, John Calder, Angus Campbell, Bill Dallas, Raymond Evenden, James Fraser, Neil Fraser, George Henderson, Stephen Hogarth, Hazel Mainwaring, Louise McCulloch, Craig O’Connor (Friday only), Mike Partington, Norrie Shand, Lorn Smith, Tim Woodcock

Most of the group had simply travelled up on Friday, but there were a couple of exceptions:

Craig took the opportunity to bag the two Munros, Creise and Meall a’Bhùiridh from the Glencoe ski centre. Though not the toughest winter walk, the stunning views were fine reward for his effort. In need of refreshment after his climb he met up with Norrie and George at the Loch Leven Hotel where even the price of a pint – a staggering £7.80 !!! couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

Jim and Neil stopped off further up Glencoe and ventured up the glen’s hidden Munro, Sgòr na h-Ulaidh. They too were rewarded with spectacular views as they negotiated the steep slopes of this underestimated mountain.

Once the room warmed up a fine evening was enjoyed at the hut. Hazel was last to arrive due to long drive up from the deep south and some inventive parking was required to get all vehicles in the designated area.

Guitars remained cased for the night but there was no shortage of tales (new and re-hashed), banter and laughter during the evening. The lack of drinking vessels required some imaginative solutions with milk jugs for wine and – yes, egg cups for whisky which held a 30 ml dram. The Glen Bylteigh tasted just the same. A decent contribution was made to the glass and can recycling before the evening drew to a close.

Unfortunately, the following morning Craig was feeling rather poorly, and his weekend had to be curtailed as he returned home.

Neil was feeling the effects of the previous day’s climbing and restricted himself to a wee jaunt around Oban.

Everyone else headed for the snow-clad peaks – that is with the exception of the auld and the infirm.

So it was that Stumpy and Stumpier (aka George and Norrie) headed for a wee 10k saunter up to the Dùn Deardail fort, Glen Nevis, a spectacular hilltop viewpoint with an icy Ben Nevis rising gracefully yet perilously on the other side of the glen. At one point they thought they heard Mike Partington peching his way up, but just maybe it was the dog they heard barking later on.

Mike had the Ben in his sights and was content to tackle it via the “tourist route” . He had ascended Britain’s highest mountain several times previously, but views from the top had eluded him. Surely this time would be different! Some clag was whirling around when he reached the top, but the outlook was breathtaking, especially over towards Tower Ridge which some hardy souls were ascending.

Ahead of the game were Bill and Hazel, also planning on ascending the mighty Ben, but by way of Carn Mor Dearg and the adjoining arete. This is a classic scramble in summer conditions but takes on a different character in winter. Ice axes and crampons were an absolute necessity and the pair crunched and hacked their way up the narrow icy slope to the summit.

James had missed out on Sgòr na h-Ulaidh with his brother the previous day, so not to be outdone selected this Munro for Saturday’s climb. “Duracell” Jim, despite having climbed the hill with Neil the previous day elected to accompany him – apparently this was Jim’s 8^th ascent of this peak. Suggestions that this was to prevent James from getting lost were denied in the strongest possible terms!

Raymond was still treading a careful path back to full fitness and headed for the nearby Graham of Tom Meadhoin. Although more modest in height than the surrounding Munros, the views on the ascent and from the summit more than justified the choice of hill.

Lorn had arranged a drop off at Duror on the shores of Loch Linnhe and tramped back to Glencoe over the Corbett of Fraochaidh and the Grahams, Sgurr a’ Choise and Meall Mor. He also enjoyed the excellent outlook over the higher hills, even picking out fellow club members on Beinn a’ Bheithir and Sgor na h-Ulaidh – and eventually picked them out at closer quarters in the Clachaig.

The shapely Beinn a’ Bheithir pair of Sgòrr Dhearg and Sgòrr Dhònuill are well seen from the hut and Angus and Stephen drove the short distance to claim this illustrious duo. For Stephen this was his first venture onto winter mountains wearing crampons – and he is now an enthusiastic convert having enjoyed the experience hugely.

John’s plans took him round to Glen Nevis from where he ascended two of the Mamores Munros, Sgùrr a’ Mhàim and Stob Ban taking in the fine arete known as the Devil’s Ridge. Oor ain auld devil was in his in element as the bullet hard snow made conditions perfect for an airy traverse. For once he wasn’t too disappointed to meet some fellow climbers on the same route.

Finally, Tim and Louise decided to spent Valentines Day in unorthodox fashion by embarking on the Corryhully  Munros of Sgùrr Thuilm and Sgùrr nan Coireachan. It must have felt great for them  not to have to spout their usual guff to tourists about THAT bridge as they cycled up the glen. A rugged and demanding pair – and the Munros equally so.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

A Munro’s no enough, so let’s bag two.

The evening in the hut began serenely as everyone reflected on their day and replaced all (and maybe more) of the calories that had been used up.

Eventually the guitars were uncased and firstly Norrie, then Raymond and Tim fired off some songs with harmonies supplied by the now-lubricated throats of the members.

Despite everyone having stuffed themselves earlier, Angus produced a tremendous cheese board and some prescription-strength chilli jam which most people tried to their enormous satisfaction.

Fraz the Fromagier proved himself equally adept at cutting cheese and cutting remarks having been given the all-clear to recommence alcohol intake.

As the evening drew to a close Louise delivered an enthusiastic and passionate speech (as her glass was constantly refilled) expressing her appreciation of the Club and its members.

This was only the start of Bills weekend as he awaited other guest to join him and Hazel for a further couple of days on the winter hills.

With the weather window firmly closing everyone else heading back home to reflect on the meet. Tim and Louise though did have another pair of Twin Peaks in sight – albeit the were only humongous cakes in the Tyndrum cafe.