The Ying and the Yang of Ben Nevis(and don’t mention the Russians)
On the June meet at Crianlarich, Brian and myself - along with John Meechan, who was just off for a wee stroll up Tower Ridge - set off from the Alt a Mhuillin path from Torlundy to traverse the CMD arete and head over the Ben. Now Midsummer’s Day, good weather, a Saturday and the Ben normally means that it may be a tad busy….. well we’ll come back to that later.
Now for someone who has been all around the Ben has been over the CMD before (via the normal route at ½ way lochan) - can I just recommend this Torlundy start!!!. New paths take you high up on to the Alt a Mhuillin route very quickly albeit with unnecessary signs every 100m pointing you in the right direction! In just over an hour or so both of us were over the tops and heading to CMD itself noticing the odd walker here and there and just over to the left a guided “bus party” of 20 or so….. “Sod this” lets keep going we both said, thinking it won’t get any busier. An hour and a half later we were up past the abseil posts, picking our way over the giant boulders towards the Bens summit - and can I add that this is still an exhilarating traverse over a not so narrow ridge (for real knee wobblers I heartily recommend Collies Ledge NOT!!!). Anyway, we’d seen a few pockets of walkers heading up/coming down but as we got closer to the summit I’m sure the buzzing noise I’d assumed was altitude turned out to be 1000’s of voices.
“Bloody Hell” I uttered. From near the N.E buttress looking across the summit past the ruins and the countless Cairns were scattered whole throngs of humanity. Rangers tops, Celtic tops, flip flops, t-shirts, carry oots in poly bags, grannies, bairns, dogs, cats, Albanian families who stowed away in rucksacks – they were all there!!!! I didn’t know what to think - I was torn between the inner snob/mountain purist “these are my hills get aff!! - and the usual philanthropic world view - “these folk have made the effort, the views are brilliant well done to them”
Even on busier hills (and my 1st time on the Ben) I’d never seen so many folk on a summit. Mind you there was the 3 peaks challenge, at least 4 other charity do’s plus it being a Saturday, the Ben, good weather, yes you’ve heard that already….. To be honest however, we were able to wander around and marvel at the awesome size of the cliffs. Sitting there looking down onto Orion Buttress, across and then above the Tower Ridge you can’t help feeling a little humbled by the scale of the brute, it’s thee Ben.
Still it was time to head down, and if your thinking it was busy on top!!! I swear that there must have been at least 3 or 400 coming up the zigzag path. Soon, though we managed to get down to the lochan and were able to rest and look at the Alt a Mhullin path over on the other side and complete our circular route. And, if you are thinking it’s a cliché to say that the silence was deafening!
Soon we were back to the car, which was spotted by the cloud of fag reek that John was generating to thwart off the midges! And as for the mentioning the Russians? Well did I say that we shared the cottage with a party of Dutch hill walkers who kept themselves to themselves, who we sat with in the local pub and watched Russia destroy their team in the Euro quarter finals and when we got back had all gone to bed at 11:00pm! Ah well…
And before I finish there may be some “completions” soon. No, not me, still a handful (which has been the same for the last 346 years it feels like), nor Mr Penman (next year at his rate). Perhaps the West Fife husband and wife posse, who for a while have been cryptic about hills to do/done and will be finishing on Slioch later this year. I’ll say no more….
Ta Ta
The Kinghorn Wanderer.
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