Jen Does Ben Nevis!

We had a quiet afternoon lined up on Thursday so I decided it was about time I took myself up the ultimate Scottish mountain, Ben Nevis. The weather wasn't looking too good up high but the cloud was forecast to lift later on so once all the jobs were finished in the hostel I headed off in the van towards Fort William.

I parked and had a quick look at the noticeboards, which informed me it would take me around 4 hours to reach the summit. With a very obvious tourist path, route finding was clearly not going to be a problem! I set off, and found the going was fairly easy early on, but after about half an hour I was really starting to tire. Luckily there were also plenty of other people on the path slower than me and I didn't feel too pathetic!

After another hour I relaxed as I hit the steep slate slopes that I hoped meant I was nearing the summit. The cloud still hadn't lifted, and as I headed upwards I soon found most of the views had disappeared and visibility had reduced significantly. Thankfully the cloud soon started lifting momentarily giving me glimpses of the path ahead. As I reached a steep corner with a cairn marking the way, I decided I must be close to the summit now. I turned the corner and saw the path disappearing off into the distance and my heart sank a little. There was a snowfield ahead covering the path, and I panicked a little as I wondered whether my running shoes would cope. In fact when I reached the snow it was crunchy and full of deep footprints for me to step in, so I breathed a sigh of relief and continued the upward slog to the summit. As I reached a snow covered plateau I looked to my left to see huge snow cornices overhanging steep cliffs which dropped away ominously into thick mist. Making sure I avoided them carefully I followed the edge of the snow and saw the remains of the famous summit meteorological observatory buildings ahead of me - I'd arrived!

After a five minute break on the summit to eat some food and pull on extra layers, I was heading back along the path and sliding my way down the snow. Now that I had gravity on my side I started to run back down the rocky path, making up for my slow plodding on the way up and earning me a few encouraging comments to help me on my way. Now that the hard uphill was done with, I relaxed and enjoyed the run down. The sun soon began shining and by the time I reached the bottom I was beginning to worry about sunburn! I think I made it just in time, 3 hours 20 minutes after I'd set off - a fairly pleasing result for me, especially given my slow uphill slog. In a few weeks perhaps I'll try again and see if I can shave a few minutes off!

Jen x

Attack of the Midge!

Well we said in the last post that we'd look out for another opportunity to climb on the Polldubh crags in Glen Nevis, and as luck would have it our next chance was only around the corner! So yesterday morning we hurriedly stuffed our gear into the van and managed to get away from the hostel at about 9:30. Despite the early start we didn't arrive until about 10:45, due to the roadworks on the main road into Fort William - although the traffic here is a huge improvement on England, it seems we're not immune to the odd irksome traffic jam!

This time we decided to explore a different crag, Sheep Fank Wall, which holds a range of lower grade routes and a couple of harder ones to look longingly at! After parking in the official Lower Falls car park and dutifully paying our £2.00, we walked down the road and cursed as we passed the free layby opposite the spot where a path leads up the hillside to the crags.

Our first route was Sheep Fank Wall, a lovely easy one-star Diff to get us into the swing. While I was leading up, I was interrupted a few times by Matt, shouting something about me getting a move on because he was being eaten alive. Whatever! I was too busy enjoying the pleasant easy climbing to take much notice, but after arriving at the belay and sitting down to belay him up, I realised with dismay what he'd been moaning about. Midges by the hundred had started swarming around me and were now settling on my exposed arms, ankles, neck and even face with alarming speed! As my hands were busy with the ropes I tried in vain to blow the horrible creatures off my skin, but to no avail. By the time Matt arrived at the belay I'd given up and resigned myself to the fact I was also now being eaten alive. Still, it had been a great route to start the day and we still had a couple of hours left, so Matt decided he'd try a two-star Severe next. We quickly walked down to the bottom and soon he'd set off, leaving me to the mercy of the midges once more.

The route followed a lovely big diagonal break in the otherwise smooth slabby face, and despite being slightly vegetated in places, it was a lovely climb with some nice moves. Matt made it look pretty easy, but as I was about to set off I was surprised to feel a little bit nervous - it was over a year since I'd climbed anything that hard, what if I really struggled?! But once I'd set off all negative thoughts disappeared, and calmness reigned. Although I was only seconding it, I felt a surge of the old confidence coming back. I was pleased to realise it felt really great to be climbing again.

We headed back to the bottom for a spot of lunch, and decided we had time for one more quick route before getting back to the hostel for the afternoon arrivals. In front of us was a short two-star Hard Severe - I was still basking in my newly regained confidence, and after eyeing it up for a few moments said I'd have a crack at it. As I was gearing up I started wondering what I'd let myself in for, but then the usual 'psyching up' process started and these doubts were all banished - it was a short route, and had plenty of protection potential. I'd be fine.

I set off and soon found a good runner placement, which calmed my initial nerves. The route followed a groove between the slab and an adjacent protruding wall, and I was pleased to find plenty of small finger pockets in the crack. As I got further from the ground, the nerves were creeping back in, and I placed 2 more pieces of protection for peace of mind before attempting the final moves. I was feeling good so far but knew my arms were out of practice and tiring quickly from the effort of hanging around to place gear. I moved carefully up the final section, and a slightly desperate lunge for a large hold just within my reach brought me to the top. I scrambled the last few feet to a ledge from where I belayed. I was elated to have climbed at such a grade again, albeit on a short route, and gave myself a pat on the back for giving it a go. Matt soon followed me up and congratulated me with a hug. Roll on the next challenge!!!!

As we headed back to the hostel, I replayed the climbing in my mind, enjoying it all over again. Suddenly Matt broke my daydream, shouting "17" at me. "17 what?" I asked, trying to work out what he could possibly have meant. "17 midge bites on your left arm!" he replied, and as I glanced down to my left arm extended to the steering wheel, I saw the numerous red lumps now glowing on my skin. In all the excitement I'd forgotten all about the dreaded midges!

I guess that's another lesson in Highland living to add to the list :o)

Jen x

Climbing in Glen Nevis

We were lucky again on Wednesday when all our guests left early for big days out, leaving us free to have another day out to ourselves.

We decided to go and check out our local crags in the magnificent Glen Nevis, described in the guidebook as one of the most stunning glens in the whole of Scotland. We've driven down to the far car park a few times to do the walk up to the Steall Falls, the second highest falls in Scotland, and have often gazed whimsically up at the crags on the way, but never had a chance to visit them until yesterday.

According to the guidebook, one visit will be enough for complete seduction, and sure enough as we arrived at our chosen crag in an area known as 'The Alp', we weren't disappointed. Although the top of the crag was visible from the road, the lower section was obscured by a copse of pine, birch and rowan trees, and when we arrived at the bottom we found the crag lying in a beautiful hidden grassy meadow and bathed in sunshine. We only had time for one route, so chose a straightforward 2-pitch three-starred route to test the water. As our hands hit the rock on our chosen climb, the spell was complete - the rock was fantastic, really clean and solid, and not at all polished despite the three stars. I finished the first pitch feeling more than a little disappointed it was over, and as Matt came up to join me I sat enjoying the wonderful views of the glen and tried to work out when we could return for some more routes. It was over all too soon, and we were soon back down at the bottom pulling on our trainers and heading back to the car, ready to go and meet our lawnmower delivery driver in a car park somewhere. (Long story).

Needless to say we'll both be keeping a close eye out for quiet days at the hostel in the coming weeks, ready to snatch another day out in the shadow of the mighty Ben.

Jen x

Gleouriach & Spidean Mialach

We didn't have many guests at the hostel last night, but after a busy weekend it comes as a bit of relief. The guests we did have were all planning early starts so we took the opportunity to get out and about ourselves. We decided to head down to Loch Quoich about 15 or so miles from the hostel (the finest independent hostel in the Great Glen!) down a stunning single track road, to tackle a couple of the local munros.

After a hasty start (only one cup of tea in bed) we left the car about 9.30am. We made fairly quick progress thanks to a stalkers path which led us 3/4's of the way up the first summit. Looking back the way we had come we were rewarded with great views across to the south side of the Loch.

From the summit of Spidean Mialach, the first munro of the day, the route became much more dramatic, following the ridge of the steep northern cliffs over a series of steep rocky corries. We made swift progress along the ridge, unfortunately we both happened to forget that there were three summits, not two. After scrambling and sweating our way up to the second our spirits temporarily dropped as the third came into view. The cake we promised ourselves on the final peak would have to wait an extra 20 minutes.


As we got to the summit of the final munro, Gleouriach, we were surprised to actually see some other people out and about. After a quick chat and the promised cake we were ready to head down. Now, anyone that's done any walking with Jen will know not only is she like a mountain goat on the way up, she's also got an inexplicable habit of wanting to run down the hills, big boots or no big boots. 45 minutes later and we were back at the car. 4 and a 1/2 hours, 12 km and two munros, a great day out.

Not much else has happened really, our friend Trigger popped in yesterday after running the Cuillin Ridge in about an hour (it might have been more like 5 hours but nothing would suprise me about Trigger "the machine"). This has had the effect of re-awakening Jen's ambition to do the same. Better get training!


--Matt

Cycling and Serpents in Glen Garry!

Well it's been a busy week for us at Invergarry Lodge, the sun still hasn't stopped shining and we've been doing our best to make the most of it.

My birthday is soon approaching, and I must have been a very good girl all year as Matt decided he would buy me a mountain bike. This was probably influenced by my raving about how much fun I had on Emma's hen do, where I was introduced to mountain biking and absolutely loved it! Since going all the way to Fort William is a fairly big event these days, there wasn't much point in him trying to surprise me, so we went in together to try some out. We weren't sure what we'd find, but as luck would have it we stumbled on a great little bike at the last minute - the perfect size, a good price, and most importantly - it looked pretty and had butterflies on!

Luckily we were able to take the bike home that day. I also decided to go for some new clip-in pedals and shoes, which Matt assured me would make life a little easier once I got used to them. It seemed a little silly to keep the bike in the shed until my birthday, and as soon as we got a quiet afternoon we nipped out for a quick test ride round the forest at the end of our road. The bike was brilliant, as conveyed by the big smile on my face! But after a couple of toppling incidents, I'm still not entirely convinced by the pedals - surely clipping your feet to the pedals is just a recipe for disaster?!! Apparently I will get used to them soon enough, I just hope I don't get too many more bruises in the process...

And when I've not been out enjoying my lovely new bike, I've been sweating it out in the garden digging holes for some new fruit bushes, so hopefully this time next year we'll be adding raspberries, redcurrants, gooseberries and blackberries to our harvest. I got a slight surprise when I reached down to pull up a clump of grass, and found this little chap slithering away! He was a bit camera-shy but we managed to get this photo before releasing him into the field next door.


Jen x

Sun and white water!

We were out and about the other day enjoying the fabulous weather and doing a bit of all important networking when the very nice man that runs the local activity centre invited us white water rafting for the afternoon. We didn't hesitate in accepting.

After having been given all the gear - wetsuits, life jackets and helmets - Jen looked a little bit apprehensive but I think she cheered up when I came out the changing room looking like a colour blind super-hero. Saftey first, thats what I've always said! After standing around in the wetsuits sweating in the sun for 1/2 hour and carrying the heavy raft a hundred metres we were finally ready to hit the River Garry. The River Garry doesn't look much most of the time but works on a dam release system, flooding the river once a week during the summer months and given a white water grade 3. It also flows right past our Highland Hostel so it felt like we were rafting to our front door!

The rafting was great, Jen got her first dunking early, setting the trend for the rest of the day. There are some exciting big drops and fast rapids on the Garry, great fun to be had, and after a while we were joined by a few kayakers enjoying the rapids as well. We ended up going back to the top to do it all again, and were thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day. Needless to say the rafting will come highly recommended to all our guests at Invergarry Lodge!

--Matt

A Trip to Ben Mor Coigach

Since taking over at Invergarry Lodge 2 months ago, we've been so busy that our days out have been pretty few and far between. So when fellow G. S. Exile Phil B came up to visit on his way up to Ullapool for a week's walking, and asked if I fancied a day out with him and his friends, it didn't take long to decide. I drove up Friday evening and checked into Ullapool SYHA hostel, doing a bit of 'professional spying' in the process. After working out what to do with the pile of sheets I was given, I headed down the road to meet up with Phil and friends in a nearby restaurant as they finished their meal. Talk soon turned to the following day's agenda, which sounded like it would incorporate plenty of fantastic views and impressive features. Great! We went for a quick drink before hitting the sack early, and as I settled into my bunk, I drifted off to sleep imagining the wonderful views in store for us the following day. Unfortunately my restful state didn't last long - I was woken by the first lorry driving past at around midnight, and as the night rolled on, so did the lorries. Instead of counting sheep, I got myself back to sleep by making a mental list of favourable comparisons with our hostel. Happily there was a sizeable list, and the lack of traffic noise at our own hostel was certainly at the top of it by the time dawn appeared through the curtains.

After a good breakfast we headed off in the cars, and found the start of our walk about 12 miles outside Ullapool. Unfortunately the weather was not looking good, and low cloud meant none of our intended peaks were visible. We headed off regardless, hoping it would lift in time to see some of the promised views. After crossing undulating ground for a couple of miles, we headed uphill into thick mist and cloud towards the summit of Sgurr an Fhidhleir. We reached a plateau about 150m short of the top where we rested our legs and lungs, before continuing up to the summit of 'The Fiddler'. By this time the cloud was still obscuring all views and navigation was increasingly difficult. We headed back down to the plateau and up to another peak, Ben More Coigach. As we reached this summit, we were treated to a brief glimpse of blue skies and sunshine, and as we made our way down we finally got some of the elusive views. The final descent was a new variation and we all became well acquainted with a steep rocky gully and knee-deep heather. We got back to the cars just over 8 hours after setting off - overall a good day out, compliments to the route-finders who did a great job in the bad conditions. A shame about the views but perhaps we'll return one day and get luckier!

Jen x

Outdoor capital of the UK!

Well folks, we've moved to the outdoor capital of the UK. Here you can climb mountains, mountain bike down the world cup course, kayak some white water, ski, gorge walk, paraglide, fish for salmon and more. Yesterday, I took things a little easier, I joined the village bowls club.

I know, I know, I'm not even 30 yet but I've fancied playing for ages, having a village bowls club was one of my criteria when me and Jen bought our first house in Yorkshire (it got over ridden by living near some good rock climbing instead) . I'm not sure what it is about bowls that I'm drawn to, maybe the balmy summer evenings, the gentle knock of bowl against jack, the quietly spoken "good bowl" and the muted applause drifting on the breeze. It wasn't quite like that for me because Invergarry Bowling club play indoors, but still, it was great fun and I definitely heard applause at one point - unfortunatley not after any of my attempts. Actually I did ok, I even won a couple of games but I think my opponent Frances was taking it pretty easy on me.

Still thoroughly enjoyable and I'll definitely be going back again, if only to have a rematch against Carol!

After all that excitement last night, I spent a few hours volunteering at a charity car wash today, Jen was still digging holes in the garden (I think she's trying to escape or something) but she is now heading off up to Ullapool for a night or two with some munro bagging friends.

Anyway, I've got a hostel to run.

--Matt

What a scorcher!

Well the weather's been so good up here lately that it feels more like we moved to Spain than Scotland!

Not that I'm complaining of course... it has given me a chance to do some more work on the beloved vegetable patches I've been planning. It's been a hard day of digging for me but finally I've finished the first one! That's one down, three to go... oh rats! Anyway I'm very pleased as I've planted lots of seeds in trays in the summer house and already have plenty of beans and peas ready for planting out. Incidentally am I the only person who is always amazed when seeds actually do what they're supposed to do??! Anyway the idea is to make it easier to get hold of fresh fruit and vegetables without having to drive the 45 minutes to our nearest supermarket every few days. I have possibly been over-ambitious in my planting scheme of peas, runner beans, french beans, broad beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, peppers, squash, swede, carrots, chillis, parsnips, broccoli and cabbages... oh and I've thrown a few herbs in for good measure! Fruit-wise I've not been so thorough but have managed to plant out cranberry, tayberry and blackcurrant bushes so we should be okay for jam by the middle of next year! Who knows what will succeed and what won't, but with any luck we won't starve! Meanwhile Matt has been busy today building a hen house so hopefully we will soon be ready to fill it with some hens! Looking forward to lots of fresh eggs for breakfast soon!

As for the rest of our spare time, well we had a big group in the hostel over the bank holiday weekend, which meant we were able to get a couple of nice days out together. Saturday we cycled down the length of Loch Garry to Tomdoun, it was great to get out on the bikes again after so long. Sunday we decided on a scrambling route up the south face of Sean Mheall. The guidebook's description of the steep heather becoming 'rather tedious' wasn't far wrong, but when we reached the rock we were supposed to be scrambling up I decided the heather was preferable. Personally, steep, loose, crumbly and damp lichenous rock is not my idea of perfect scrambling material. We were glad we persevered though, as we were greeted on the summit by a wonderful view of the entire Great Glen - from this viewpoint it was easy to see how it came to be named. From the summit we then walked west to the summit of Sron a' Choire Ghairbh, our first Munro together! A good long day out, despite the disappointing scramble!

Anyway that's about all for now, we'll post another update in a few days.

Thanks for reading!

Jenny x

First Post!

Jenny and I took over Invergarry Lodge just before Easter. She's finally back from her her jollies in Nepal (Jen will tell you about that later) and we have just about got settled in. It's been quite hard but we've also managed to squeeze in some good days out - been up a couple of the local mountains, some nice long bike rides and I've had a day out doing the Forcan Ridge with Mr Lound.

Anyway, we will keep you up to date with what we get up to on our days off (I thought every day was supposed to be a day off when you retire!) or let you know of anything interesting happening with the hostel.

Oh, if you haven't seen the awesome new website (do you think all these links will help with our google ranking?) here's a picture of our lovely new home for you..


-- Matt