Another Bank holiday weekend at the end of May gave the chance to travel a bit further afield to Blackrock cottage in Glencoe. This is the picture postcard cottage often seen on highland photos, with Buachaille Etive Mor looming large in the background.
Looking west towards a cloudy Glencoe
It has a rustic feel to it and once we’d opened up it was time to enjoy a cuppa by the fire after the long drive from York. The banter continued into the early hours, aided by a glass or two of port and Karl kept us all entertained with stories of tigers (trust me, it was very funny!).
Saturday was sunny and dry so after a big fry up we headed out for the Buachaille, keen to get some climbing done and make the most of the good weather. Pete and Adam headed up to Rannoch wall to climb Agag’s Groove (VDiff), a great multi pitch classic finishing on the top of Crowberry ridge. They then continued up onto the summit of Stob Dearg, desending down Coire na Tulaich which still had a slippery start over the remains of the winter cornice.
Peter and Adam on Agags Groove
Rob, Karl and Jamie headed around to the ‘classic rock tick’ of North Face route (S, 220m), another great multipitch day out, descending back down curved ridge. Meanwhile Sarah and Rona were enjoying the excellent visibility across the highlands as they walked the ridge of the Buachaille and ticked some munros off the list. Back at the cottage, Karl’s spicy bean dinner went down a treat, followed by apple pie and custard. The legendary YAC portions meant no one had room for the optional cheese and biscuits afterwards.
Sunday dawned a bit more overcast, so after another epic fry up (Karl seemed to have taken the need for a good breakfast before a day in the hills very seriously!) we headed out for a walk up Lairig Eilde.
Hiking up the Lairig Eilde
Sarah and Rona opted for a shorter walk, finishing in the Glencoe Ski centre café before heading back to Edinburgh. The rest of the group continued up the excellent scramble of Sron na Lairig (nose of the pass) at the top of the valley. Donning waterproof trousers at the bottom was the right decision, as once the scrambling began, so did the rain. The wet rock made things more interesting and the scramble finished with an exposed ridge above spring snowchutes, during which eagle eyed Rob spotted and retrieved some winter crag swag via a quick abseil. Pete and Adam continued to tick the Munro of Stob coire Sgreamhach before descending via a very wet Beinn Fhada and the ‘bad step’.
Scrambling on Sron na Lairig
Rob does his 'Usain Bolt' impression on the final ridge
Monday was overcast with showers threatening again, and with everyone else having made an early exit home, Pete and Adam closed up the cottage and then headed west over the Corran Ferry to Ardnamurchan. A steady walk up the valley led them to the base of Pinnacle ridge on Garbh Bheinn. After lunch we were pleased of the rope and small rack we’d packed, as some tricky (poor?!) route finding led to steep rocky and heather covered ground. Once back on the main ridge, an airy, atmospheric finish in the clouds ended a great scramble.
Adam high on Pinnacle Ridge
During the snack stop at the top the clouds lifted to reveal cracking views west to Loch Sunart, and across Loch Linnhe to the south and east. A walk back down the SE ridge, spotting a small herd of deer on the way, followed by a meal in The Inn at Ardgour by the ferry topped off a great weekend in Scotland.