Glaramara

Glaramara is a mountain in the Cumbrian Lake District, about three kilometres south of Seatoller in Borrowdale. I was recently leading a walk on this mountain for HF Holidays. We were based at the HF Holidays' house near Portinscale. It was wet and windy on this walk and writing about it provides me with the opportunity to talk about: keeping the group warm, navigation and pace.

We set off from Seatoller Car Park, walked east along the road and then south up the north ridge of Glaramara. This is a lovely grassy ridge that becomes more and more rocky higher up. The forecast was for strong winds of about 35mph on the summits and lots of rain. As we ascended the wind became stronger and we climbed into the base of a low cloud.

I found a rocky buttress that we could get behind to get out of the wind and we all stopped for a snack. Given that I knew it would get colder and wetter the higher we went, I took the opportunity to put on another fleece underneath my waterproof jacket and to put on my waterproof overtrousers. I encouraged everyone else to do the same.

Most people chose not to. With quite a bit of ascent still to come, they were probably thinking that they'd get too hot. Later on, we had to hang around in the cold while people grabbed a quick snack or went to the loo and you could see that people were getting cold and wanting to move on. This was fine as we did soon move on and everybody warmed up.

Keeping the group warm.

Once it becomes cold and wet, people are reluctant to take off a waterproof jacket, put on a jumper, fleece or warm coat and then put their waterproof back on. Sometimes, once it gets very wet and windy, people are even reluctant to put on their waterproof overtrousers (rain pants if you are from North America). Putting on overtrousers can take a long time without a zip down the side or if your balance isn't great. So I normally try to encourage people to do this before we get into the really bad weather.

Two recent experiences come to mind. We had stopped for lunch on the summit of Meall Mhor in Glencoe. I looked across Loch Linnhe and I could see some bad weather coming. I pointed this out to people and asked them to put on an extra layer and all their waterproofs before it arrived.

Once the weather arrived everyone was grateful and later said how much they enjoyed being 'mothered' and told what to do. I think a lot of people like that on a guided walk. A big difference from taking out 'clients', as you might if you were running a course.

The other experience was on the way up Bidean nam Bian. We'd ascended Coire nan Lochan onto Gearr Aonach and were on our way to the top of Stob Coire nan Lochan. You need to use your hands as well as feet for the last few metres and I could tell that the minute we got to the top the wind and rain would hit us.

I stopped the group next to a crag, out of the wind and just below the summit. I put my overtrousers on, another fleece underneath my waterproof jacket, gloves and a woolly hat. I asked the rest of the group to do the same. At this point I realised that some people did not have all the gear that they had been asked to bring.

When booking an HF holiday, guests are sent a link to a booklet that tells them what to bring. This includes: 

• Waterproof and windproof jacket
• Comfortable clothing (jeans & waterproof capes are not suitable)
• Mid-layer(s) to keep you warm. Fleeces make a good choice
• Waterproof overtrousers
• Gloves and a warm hat

Unfortunately, some people don't believe that they might need all these things as it is the summer. Either that or they don't read the booklet! We can remind people that they need this gear at the beginning of the holiday but that's not much good if they didn't pack it!

I lent out two pairs of spare gloves and a buff and we continued to the top of Stob Coire nan Lochan. Because of the weather and the fact that some people were not properly equipped, I decided not to continue with the walk to the summit of Bidean nam Bian and we descended instead into Coire Gabhail (aka The Lost or Hidden Valley).

The next day quite a few people from my walk as well as others went shopping for more gear.

There are two obstacles to making sure that people are warm enough:

Firstly, they have to have more clothing in their rucksacks. We ask people before they start out for the day if they have these things but short of having a kit inspection you can't be certain. I always carry spare gloves and a couple of buffs that can double up as hats.

Secondly, they have to be willing to put the clothing on. You really have to find a way to shelter someone from the wind and rain to do this. I always try to stop before it gets bad but you can look for a rock or crag with space out of the wind or make a group huddle around someone.

Alternatively you take a spare jacket that they can put on over their waterproofs. Many leaders carry a Primaloft belay jacket. These are still 70% effective when wet and are quite heavy. Especially if you are already carrying one for yourself. I carry a Blizzard Survival Jacket. These are light, pack up very small and you can just put them over the top of someone. I also carry a couple of £1 ponchos although these are practically useless if it's windy unless you find a way of securing them.

If someone is incapacitated all HF leaders carry a survival shelter that the group can sit in and wait for help. I also take a Blizzard Blanket. See my previous blog on this subject.

Navigation

Once we'd reached the top of Glaramara, I got the compass out of my bag and took a bearing to take us to Allen Crags. This involves weaving between rocky mounds and descending and re-ascending small valleys over rocky, stony, wet terrain. Consequently you can't realistically walk in a straight line. Sometimes you are on a path but sometimes not. The compass will keep you going in the right direction but in the mist and cloud it's hard to choose the best route.

Having my smart watch with the path marked on it was really useful. You could see whether the path was to your left or to your right and slowly pick your way back to it. I estimated how long it would take to reach a significant feature that was just over half way - High House Tarn (a small lake about 50m by 30m) but that time passed and there was no sign of it. I got my phone out and used the OS App to see where I was. Nearly there.

So useful to have the GPS on the watch and the phone. In the old days, I would have pressed on nervously until I came to the tarn. I need more enough practice to get better at estimating my pace in these conditions.

Pace

Which brings me onto my third point. The slow progress in the mist and on this terrain meant that rather than visit Sprinkling and Styhead Tarns, it would be better to head straight down by the quickest route. We arrived about 5 minutes before the bus was due to pick us up.

It just goes to show how much mist, rain and wet stony terrain affect the pace of the group.

Everybody said that they'd had a great day. I certainly did. This was despite the fact that they'd got a bit wet and cold and not seen anything much. It was a great adventure!