Autumn Colours in Crianlarich

Dorothy and I stayed in a self catering cottage just North of Crianlarich. It was very cosy with a wood fire. The objective was to 'bag' a few more Munros but, as it turned out, this was not going to be easy. Somehow, when I was putting the clocks back, I managed to put my mobile phone (aka Alarm Clock), back two hours instead of one so we started off up Beinn Cabhair an hour later than we'd intended to. To say that it was wet and boggy would be an understatement and it was pretty cold on top. We ended up finishing the walk with our head torches on. So day one was a bit of an adventure.

Ptarmigan on Beinn Cabhair

When Night Navving (see earlier blog) on a moor, a head torch is very effective but when you are trying to find your way down a steep path in the rain it is is hard to tell the difference between small streams and the wet path.

The next day - Monday - we set off as soon as daylight started at about 7 am. We climbed An Casteal and Beinn a Choin via the North ridge of An Casteal, returning along the river Falloch. The weather was excellent, if a little cold and there was a snow flurry towards the end. Great views in all directions.

On Tuesday we tried to climb Stob Binean from Benmore farm. A few years ago we climbed Ben More but had to turn back from Stob Binean because the weather was so bad so we were keen to complete it this time. The forecast was light rain in the morning and heavy rain in the afternoon. So we hoped to get it done in the morning, by setting out at the crack of dawn again. We were about 30 minutes from the top when we decided we had to turn back. Snow, hail and sleet was combining with increasingly strong winds and when you started to head back down it was more difficult. The ground looked as if someone had emptied wallpaper paste all over it and I could imagine this slush freezing and becoming very treacherous.

Back at the bealoch (col),  behind a large rock, we were joined  by three other people who also agreed that it was time to head back to the valley. We had a chat with a digger driver at the bottom who had previously been a contract shepherd. He explained to us how villages like Killin were in decline. It seems that what has happened on many of the Hebridean Islands is now recurring in the Highlands. Less and less young people want to live there because of the lack of amenities and less and less old people because all the local hospitals have closed. Very sad.

The forecast for Wednesday was grim so went for a valley walk up Glen Ogle and back to Lochearnhead via the disused railway line. The latter part was fantastic, with the railway line hugging the side of the glen you get excellent views and wonderful mosses in the railway cuttings but the former part was in a poor state. As we left Lochearnhead there was a map announcing the Glen Ogle Trail. It looked as if it had been created at the Millenium but not very well maintained.

Mosses alongside the disused railway line

In my day job working with IT Systems for a Bank, we have a concept of Service Management. It isn't enough to just build a computer system to provide a customer service, you also have to think about how it will be maintained in the future. It will need to be monitored and updated regularly. Unfortunately, all too frequently, this concept does not seem to be applied to footpaths.

Glen Ogle disused railway line

On Thursday we climbed Bem Vorlich from just South of Ardlui over 'The Liitle Hills' and back via the North ridge. Route finding was tricky in the snow but the views over the clouds of the snow capped hills and down at Loch Lomond were brilliant.

Loch Lomond on the way up Ben Vorlich

With more heavy snow forecast, we went for a drive on the Friday round to Lock Arklet and Inversnaid. We drove round through the beautiful Trossachs with their autumn colours and from just above Inversnaid you could look across at Beinn Narnain, Ben Ime, Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich where we had been the day before. A wonderful viewpoint.

View across Loch Arklet of Beinn Narnain, Ben Ime, Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich

 

We eat out at the Crianlarich Hotel and drove home on the Saturday. A haul of four Munros is not great for a weeks walking but we experienced some incredible weather conditions and the colours at this time year in the Highlands are truly amazing.

View across Loch Lomond of Beinn Narnain, Ben Ime, Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich

Plenty of Grouse at Millers House

Dorothy and I decided to try out one of the TGO Wild Walks from the November Issue. We started at Tower Lodge in the Forest of Bowland (SD614539) and set off North along a nice track. We immediately encountered a very ambiguous notice saying that there was going to be shooting on the Open Access Land and that we had to stick to footpaths. There was a very confusing map with different colours showing where the Open Access Land was. As our route was mainly on footpaths and seemed to follow the edge of the coloured area we decided to press on and see.

We turned East across White Moor following a concessionary footpath, although there wasn't really a path as such. These footpaths are a bit like the equator, imaginary. That reminds me of an old joke about the boy who thought there was a dangerous animal that circled the globe. A menagerie lion running round the Earth. Never mind...

On the way over to Millers House we could hear the hunting dogs. They sounded as if they were a couple of miles to our West so we felt reasonably happy that we weren't disturbing the shoot. In fact it was easy to imagine we ourselves were being hunted. When we stopped I put on my dark fleece to keep warm but it was going through the back of my mind that it also made me less visible.

At Millers House we stopped for elevenses next to a large millstone. It seems very unlikely that this was really a Miller's House. It's hard to imagine a less favourable spot for grinding wheat to make flour. You'd have to carry the wheat there and carry the flour back. Maybe it was less boggy then, but a more likely explanation is that this was where people made the millstones. After all, the rock here is Millstone Grit.

 

You'd still be left with the problem of getting the stones from here to where the miller really lived. You could put a pole through the middle and with a couple of people each side perhaps you could roll it down. Even if it where less boggy it would not be easy. Just making it in the first place must have taken an incredibly long time! Hats off to anyone making a living out of this.

We headed North and West to Wolfhole Crag. The shapes and colours made by the moss, the heather and the water are fascinating. Take this green pool for example. As the path is largely imaginary you need to concentrate on route finding. This could be fun in thick mist!

 

The sun came out while we eat our lunch at Wolfhole Crag and enjoyed views of Ingleborough and the Trough of Bowland. From here we went West and met some beaters. "Where are you going?" we are asked politely. "Over to Wards Stone" I said. I'm not sure they knew where I meant but we are asked to keep on the South side of the wall as they were shooting to the North. "No problem" I replied. Not sure they were happy to see us though!

 

Now the shapes and colours were dominated by the peat itself. The peat could be incredibly black like oil or a rich purple like the heather. With peat hags dominating the skyline.

 

From Wards Stone, the highest point in The Forest Bowland (580m), apart from the trig point a kilometre away that's a metre higher, you can see the Carneddau in Snowdonia and the Lakeland Hills. The TGO article suggested you could also see the Isle of Man but it was too hazy for that.

We dropped down to the gravelled track to the south of us and started to head back to our car but then we met the shooting party. Again these were beaters but they didn't want us carrying on into the area they were beating. After an amicable discussion we agreed to take a detour round them although I must admit I did find the concept of the moor being closed quite amusing. For a minute I thought the gentleman we spoke to had the wrong consonant. I can see how you can close a door but a not moor?

Anyway we all need to share the countryside and we'd had our walk while they had their shoot so no worries as far as I was concerned. It seemed like very well organised operation and I guess it needs to be. One is inclined to think 'poor birds'. However, I'm not a vegetarian although I try to eat free range food if I can. I guess it doesn't come much more free range than this. 

 

On the way back we saw a beautiful sunset over the mouth of the Mersey and the Dee. We rarely come to this area but you could easily be walking in the Highlands of Scotland and it's only an hour's drive from where we live. Up on the top it reminded us of another walk we did between Mayar and Driesh above Glen Clova. Only that, believe it or not, was a lot more boggy!

Night Navving

Last night Chris and I went 'Night Navving' near Widdop Reservoir (between Hebden Bridge and Burnley). It was a lovely clear evening, great for star gazing and not too cold. It is debatable whether this is ideal conditions or not because it depends why you are walking about on the hills in the dark.

Yes. Why are we walking around in the dark? Well a few months ago Chris came out with me in preparation for my Mountain Leader Assessment and now Chris is doing his in a few weeks. On the ML, as it is affectionately called, you walk round at night in a group of about four people. Naturally you have your head torches on. The assessor will point out a location on the map to one of the group and he or she will have to get there. Then another person is asked to take the group to the next spot.

A location might be at the corner of a path or the end of a wall - not too bad. On the other hand it might be a tiny kink in a contour line that you can only see when you look through the magnifying glass on the compass - much harder. The tough thing is that you have to take over from the person before you and you don't know where they were told to go. They may not even have successfully taken the group to the place they were told to. So you have to be on the ball, You need to know where you are on the map at all times. In the dark!

That's why a lovely clear night might not be the best conditions. On my ML it rained all the time and we were in mist so you really need to practice in bad conditions as well.

We set off from the car park along the track and then up through the woods until leaving the path to find a small group of rocks. This was the first location. Before going you need to decide what the locations will be. From there we worked our way around between groups of rocks, tops of small streams (re-entrants in orienteering parlance) and corners in the path before returning to the car.

We achieved about half of what Chris had planned. It takes ages in the dark over moorland to get anywhere.

So how can you find your way around? Well, your main tool is your compass. Take a bearing on the map and follow it. To decide when you have gone far enough you can estimate the number of paces and how long it will take. You would know in advance how many paces was 100 m on a flat path and how long that would take but you have to adjust that estimate to take account of the gradient and the underfoot terrain.

There are other tactics that orienteers use, that you can adopt. A good strategy is to try to break it down into 'legs'; walk to a wall, follow the wall to a corner, then take a bearing, for example. Following a wall is called 'Handrailing' and getting closer before taking the bearing is called 'finding an attack point'. You can use a catching feature. If there is something behind the target destination, then you know you've gone too far if you reach it. If you are heading for a point on a linear feature like a stream it is better to 'aim off'. Deliberately go slightly to the right or left so that when you hit the stream you know which way to turn.

That's just a sample. There are many static orienteering courses you can use for practice but you really can't beat being out in the dark. There is that slight frisson of excitement especially when a grouse suddenly takes off noisily about 2 metres away. It's exhilarating and of course it's fantastic practice in case you ever do get caught out at night.

Why the name Murmelloch?

Well, the German for Marmot is Murmeltier so I am translating Murmelloch as Marmot Hole. There is a German expression: "schlafen wie ein Murmeltier" which means "to sleep like a log". A Marmot is a furry rodent about the size of a large cat that can be found in the Alps. They live in burrows and give out a high pitched whistle as a danger signal that sounds very like a bird.

When I have walked past a Marmot Hole I have often wondered what was going on inside it and for the purposes of this blog there will be activities that take place outside the hole, for example the first two entries and musings from me that take place inside the hole.

So, the musing...

I was thinking about the dog in the last posting. I had been wondering how far the dog would go if it kept running from the front of the walking group to the back and then returning.

I was thinking about this again on the way to work this morning. [Yes. I know...] I was thinking: 'If x is the length of the walk and y is the speed of the party... bla bla bla.' 'mmm...I will need a pencil and paper'.

Then it dawned on me. It was easy. If the dog is running all the time and the people are walking all the time (an assumption for simplicity's sake) then suppose the dog goes 3 times faster than the people. That means she will have run three times further than them by the end of the walk. Simples!

This is an example of an apparently complicated problem that turns out to be easy if you think about it a different way. You sort of start at the end.

Another example: 4,067 football teams enter a knockout competition. How many matches do you need to play?

At first you might start with an easier example, a good problem solving strategy. Suppose there were 8 teams. That's 4 games (Quarter Finals) then two games (Semi Finals) then one game (The Final). However, if the number of teams isn't a power of two like 8, 16, 32 etc. it gets a bit more complicated with byes and so on.

It seems difficult until you think about the other way.

Every match eliminates one team and at the end there is a winning team that wasn't eliminated. Therefore you need one less match than the number of teams. Answer - 4,066 matches. Simples!

Time to go back to sleep.

South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival

Dot, Abbie, Chris and I joined twelve other people on a 9 mile walk around Gorple and Widdop as part of the South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival. We arrived at 10:00 in Gorple Car Park to find various people publicising local walking, taking our photos and asking us to fill in feedback forms. This is what you have to do to get funding for events like this nowadays so we dutifully complied.

We finally set off around the back of Gorple Reservoir on a glorious sunny day. The three dogs that were accompanying us seemed very happy to run and up and down the group and it got me wondering how far a dog would walk if kept running from the front to the back of the party all the way round. I guess it depends on the relative speeds of both.

 

After letting some cyclists past, overtaking them and letting them past again, we struck off across the moor to the Hoof Stones Height trig point (SD914291). It's pretty boggy up there despite attmpts to prevent erosion with what looks like hemp netting. By now people were beginning to get to know each other.

Norman, our leader wore a Hi Vis jacket with 'Walk Leader' printed on the back. Unfortunately this was covered over while he wore his rucksack. Nevertheless his cheery Lancastrian voice and humour made for a relaxed leadership style. He accompanied this with his 'Whistle System': Three blasts means stop, two blasts means slow down and one blast means go.

I can imagine it must be a potentially daunting prospect; leading a group as part of a Walking Festival where anybody could turn up. However, this was a very strong group of walkers with lots of experience including, I was assured, the World Womens' second fastest bog snorkeller!

We had lunch at the top and headed off West then North to walk back alongside Gorple Lower Reservoir which, unsurprisingly given recent weather, was completely full and overflowing. Several people had fallen over and got muddy now by inadvertently placing their foot into the many small holes caused by the now defunct lead mining activity. But they didn't mind.

We managed to shelter from a couple of showers in a ruined building and a shed and found our way back to the start at about 4pm. It had been very enjoyable 9 mile walk on a beautiful day with lots of interesting people to talk to. Everyone thanked Norman and we headed off home.

The Stubai Runde Tour

We stepped out of the twin prop, Tyrolean Airways plane and looked around us. We were surrounded by huge rocky peaks. In almost every direction there was a wall of rock lit up by glorious sunshine. It was so fantastic to be back in the Alps again.

Armed with Allan Hartley's Cicerone Guide, we planned to spend over two weeks walking, and occasionally scambling, from hut to hut around the head of the Stubai Valley. We had booked a night at the Serles Hotel so we caught the bus into Innsbruck and then another to Mieders. From the hotel balcony you could look up at rocky Serles as it towered not just over Mieders, but over the whole of Innsbruck. It seemed amazing to think that we might be standing there the very next day!

Serles from Mieders

We enjoyed the first of many Knödel Suppen (Dumpling Soups) as our starter in the evening and for breakfast the first of many bowls of Muesli and plates of Ham and Cheese.

Next day we walked a few hundred metres to the Serlesbahn Cable Car and watched the valley disappear as we sped upwards. Many people use the Serlesbahn to get to the top of the Rodelbahn, a single track Roller Coaster that takes one person at a time back to the valley in a hurry. In our cabin was a family of four. It looked like Gran, Mum, Dad and Daughter.

"Gehen sie auf der Rodelbahn?" I said jokingly, but Dad and Daughter were. Although Dad did look a bit apprehensive. My German isn't great. It's a long time since I narrowly passed my 'O' Level but I have been doing an Open University course this year so I was keen to practice and I was hoping it would be good enough to sort things out in the huts.

Tribulain  Peaks from Padasterjoch Haus

Following a suggestion in the guide book, we were tacking an extra couple of days onto the front of the traditional tour and it didn't take us too long to walk to the Maria Waldrast Monastery and Gasthof. We were hoping to be able to leave some of the contents of our rucksacks there and we were very pleased to be shown immediately to the room we had reserved by email.

We had splashed out on some lightweight kit and left a lot of gear at home to get our packs down to 10kg but we were still glad to be able to ascend Serles with much less. We were hoping our fitness would improve as the days went by.

Serles was steep near the top and a little exposed but the view over Innsbruck was superb. You could also see Habicht, the Zuckerhutl and most of the route we had before us. Nearly as good a starter as a Knödel Suppe!

Looking North from Bremer Hut

After an evening meal and breakfast served by a monk, we set off for the Padasterjoch Haus via the Kessel Spitze, having checked that the route was open. There is a tricky section just before you reach the hut where the path obviously keeps slipping away but it turned out to be easier than it looked from a distance.

The Hut Warden asked, in excellent English, if the path had been OK and when we said "yes", he seemed very pleased as he'd only been out repairing it the day before. The fact that he'd left his pickaxe up there suggested that this was an ongoing requirement. The Padasterjoch Haus is a small but delightful hut and we arrived just before a thunderstorm started. We only needed our umbrellas for the last ten minutes of the walk to protect us from the large drops of rain that precede a downpour in the Alps.

The next day we would walk to the Innsbrucker Hut, the start of the official Tour. We could have done this by climbing over the Kirchdach Spitze but the description in the guide book of a long steep descent 'over rocks, scree and steep, difficult broken ground fitted with wires and staples until it finally relents several hours later on the Pinnistal valley floor' didn't sound very attractive. A view endorsed by our hosts. Instead, we walked down to Trins and caught the bus to Gasthof Feuerstein. We know our limitations. However the climb up from there to the Innsbrucker Hut is still hard work. It's a good zig zag path but you do gain 900m in about 2 km.

The Innsbrucker Hut was quite busy but Dorothy and I had a comfortable night in the Matratzenlager (shared dormitory). The best policy is to get away as early as possible in the morning and it was a long walk to the Bremer hut so we were away by 7:30 am. A habit we managed to maintain. 

Kalkwand from Innsbrucker Hut

The route on to the Nuernburger Hut involves crossing the Simmingjochl (names of cols frequently end in jochl or nieder). This fine col still sports a police hut from the days when the Italian border was policed. From here you can make a diversion to the Aperer Feuerstein. We did try to ascend this without crossing the glacier but the scree became too unpleasant. Nevertheless it was great to be so close to this fascinating glacier with meandering snow patterns in it, set amongst such red rocks. The descent to the Nuernberger Hut included lots of fixed wires and metal staples as well as many fine views.

Panorama from Mair Spitze

Next day we climbed steeply up to the Mair Spitze (2781m). From here you get the most incredible panorama and there are even benches to sit on. Nirvana for Dorothy who will draw or paint with watercolours at every possible opportunity. This was perfect.

Then on to the Sulzenau Hut, having looked up at the imposing Wilder Freiger glacier above the very blue Grunau See. The Sulzenau Hut was rebuilt in the seventies following an avalanche and has a very laid back as well as cosy atmosphere as well as good hot showers. You can often get a shower in the huts but price and quality varies a lot. A short walk takes to the very green Blaue Lacke!

Zuckerhutl from Grosser Troegler (Artist at Work)

The next day took us to the top of the Grosser Troegler. It gets a bit exposed near the top but we just managed. Then a couple of ten year old girls with their families followed us. The swirling clouds and blue skies treated us to a slideshow with an amazing view of the Zuckerhutl and the Sulzenau Ferner Glacier as well as Habicht, the Stubai Wildspitze and back to the Simmingjochl police hut.

The next hut, the Dresdner is part of a ski lift development and is a bit commercial with a self service counter like a motorway service station but you soon get used to it and the food is good.

We stayed there for two nights so that we could climb the Schaufel Spitze (3333m). Initially, this involves walking up through what seems like an attempt to build a space station on Mars with chair lifts, restaurants and other facilities under construction. Once you get above that you reach the Eisgrat cable car station. Anyone can get a cable car to here from the valley and then continue in another cabin over the glacier but you can walk up the Schaufel Ferner Glacier without roping up as the way is marked for day trippers.

Day Trippers' Viewing Platform from Schaufel Spitze

At the top is a strange metal viewing platform with views across the Italian Alps. It's a little surreal up there mixing with the people who have come up in the cable car. After a noodle soup with sausage, we carried on walking to the top of the rather unstable looking Shaufel Spitze.

Pete and Zuckerhutl from Schaufel Spitze

Nearly 30 years ago, when I was 16, I had been guided to the top of the Zuckerhutl as part of a family holiday. I'm pretty sure there was a lot more snow on it then but it was wonderful to be so close to it again and I wished the rest of the family could be here.

Looking forward to getting away from the noise and clutter, we set off the next day for the Neue Regensberger Hut. This involves crossing the highest and most difficult to pronounce, col of the tour, the Grawagrubennnieder. 

We saw some marmots on the way before struggling down from the col over large, loose boulders. Some of these still have the glacier beneath them so it's no wonder that they are constantly moving and scattering attempts to waymark and add fixed wires to the route.

In general the way is marked all round the Tour by a red and a white stripe painted next to each other on the rocks, making navigation very straightforward. It can also be exciting/worrying to see these markers disappear up a rock face until you get there and find a 'Klettersteig' of fixed wires and metal pins have been provided to help you across.

At many huts a more technically difficult 'Klettersteig Garten' is provided for people to play on, leading them high up rocky buttresses. Harnesses, helmets and slings can be borrowed from the Hut.

Eidelweiss

My confidence in talking to other guests grew substantially at the Neue Regensberger Hut. My attempts to communicate in German were rewarded by several people from Austria and Germany meeting me halfway, allowing us to have a conversation using both languages. This is what staying in the Huts is all about. The 'gumutlichkeit' tradition where everyone is friendly and equal. it was pointed out to me that I shouldn't worry too much about getting exactly the right vocabulary and grammar. If I could make myself understood no-one minded.

It was very rare to find any British people at these huts. We looked back fruitlessly through pages in the hut guest books for people from the UK. It's a shame because there is a warm welcome especially if you are prepared to try to speak some German.

As we were generally not booking ahead we found ourselves in the Murmelbau (Marmot Building) bunkhouse but it was very cosy. One of the things that strikes you is how different one hut is from the next from commercial to quite basic, but always very friendly.

The walk to the Franz Senn Hut was fairly straightforward and we ended up staying there for three nights. We got to know a couple from Bautzen in what was once East Germany, near the polish border. It was fascinating to get Uli and Barbara's perspective on Europe and German reunification. We discussed the political situation in Austria with a young couple who spoke fluent English. I even climbed one of the Klettersteig with Uli saving Barbara from having to do it.

Licenser Ferner Glacier

During our two days there we visited the Rinnensee lake and, we climbed the Vorderer Sommerwand and continued on to inspect the Sommerwand Ferne Glacier. We even saw some wild Eidelweiss!

Finally we were on our way to the last hut, the Starkenburger. This is a long day on beautiful paths that takes you past the awesome Kalkkogel with its limestone towers. From the Starkenburger hut you see the Franz Senn hut, an unbelievable distance away. Maybe we really had got fitter? You can also see much of the tour you have now almost completed which looks especially good at sunrise.

Morning view of Runde Tour from Starkenenburger Hut

We'd had incredible weather. Our waterproofs never left our rucksacks and we only needed our umbrellas on three short occasions. Dorothy was amazed at how much time she'd had for painting and drawing. The trip had exceeded both of our expectations.

The next day we set off back to the valley floor that we'd been away from so long. Normally on walking holidays you have this descent with the equivalent ascent every day, but on a hut to hut tour like this you stay high up. Of course it's a little less luxurious than staying in a hotel every night but well worth that small sacrifice.

We spent a day visiting museums, art galleries and the Alpine Zoo in Innsbruck. The Austrian Alpine Club (Alpenverein) Museum is well worth a visit. It looks at the history of the way people have experienced the Alps and includes many examples of the way paintings of the Alps have developed alongside attitudes to the mountains. All displayed in a very modernist way.

A few more Weissbeers and a final Wiener Schnitzel with Apfel Strudel in the Beer Garden were a fitting way to say goodbye to an incredible visit to the Stubai Valley and its mountains.

Photos and Text: Pete Thomasson
Paintings: Dorothy Ann Simister (www.dorothyannsimister.com)