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Mountain Photos | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings - Part 11

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A day on Beinn Chuirn …..but not on good form

Posted by admin on November 27th, 2010
View from the coire Ben Chuirn

View from the coire Ben Chuirn

It’s amazing, I’ve been walking in the hills since the age of ten ….introduced to the mountains by my father shortly after we moved to Wales from Essex in 1969.   I loved these wild places so much that when my sight went bad back in the early 90’s I was still determined to continue these walks despite the practical difficulties.  I’m certainly not an outdoor expert, (I still have much to learn) but I am I guess fairly experienced when it comes to walking in the hills. This said however, every once in a while I have a day when I really struggle, where quite simply I lose my nerve somewhat.  Yesterday was just such an occasion.

What should have been another fantastic day, turned into a difficult and quite stressful one for me.  The forecast for the Loch Lomond National Park area had improved rapidly over the previous 24 hours and although there was much snow falling over in the east of the country, on the west coast it was dry, bright and cold.  We planned to drive up to Tyndrum and walk into Cononish glen as far as the farm of Cononish.  Here the track splits, one continuing up the glen to end below Ben Lui, the other heading up hill to the entrance of the small gold mine at the base of Beinn Chuirn…..the hill we were hoping to walk.

Beinn Chuirn

Beinn Chuirn

There was a dusting of snow on the ground at Tyndrum but most of the hills around had little or no snow on them.  As the path entered the Cononish glen though, we got our first view of Ben Lui …and it was well covered with snow.  It looked superb and all of its 1100m.  Its neighbour, Beinn Chuirn (880m) was though, virtually clear of the white stuff.  It all looked rather strange.  Beinn Chuirn has an impressive coire below its summit and we hoped we would be able to walk up into this and then out onto its rim and around that to the summit cairn.  This looked fairly steep but as we approached the hill above Cononish, Anita and our friend Guy both said it looked OK.

At this point though we left the track and headed across the rough ground aiming for the coire …and things became pretty difficult.  Although there was no snow, the ground was completely frozen in most places, there were numerous areas of solid ice hidden in the grass and heather, some areas were frosted, some in bright sun, some in deep shadow and of course there were numerous rocks.

From the coire, Ben Chuirn

From the coire, Ben Chuirn

Now then, I’ve walked on ground like this plenty of times before and although it’s difficult I’ve not had a problem.  Yesterday however, for whatever reason, I just found it very challenging. I moved exceedingly slowly despite putting on the spiders to help give me extra grip on the icy ground.  Nita and Guy were as always, very patient and guided me excellently, but with the prospect of the ground getting much steeper I really wasn’t looking forward to the ascent.  At this time of year the days are almost at their shortest and I knew I had to get back to the big track in the glen before it got dark.  I looked at the slow pace I was going and realised there was no way that I would be able to get up to the top and back down in time.

We decided instead to carry on into the coire but simply try to get to a point where we could see our route to the top ….then at least we’d know for a future trip.  Well then, we did manage this and the coire was dramatic and the views back out, very impressive …but I was really struggling on this patchwork of surfaces.  After a lunch break we retreated back down into the glen and arrived back at the car as it was getting dusk.  Nita and Guy had enjoyed their day…..I on the other hand, felt rather glum.  I honestly don’t know why I found it so difficult yesterday.  Perhaps though it’s that on this occasion I thought just a little bit too much about what I was doing.

Dusk, Ben Lui from Cononish

Dusk, Ben Lui from Cononish

Walking hills and mountains when you have such a limited amount of sight, really is quite difficult.  It takes a huge amount of concentration, great guides (which I’m lucky to have in Nita and Guy), and at times a little bit of bottle.  Either that or you just need to be completely mad!  I think most of the times I’m out in these wonderful wild places; it’s a little bit of all of these.   Sometimes though, like yesterday, reality cuts in and I find it quite scary!   Next time though I’ll get it right again… with a bit of luck.

Photos by Anita Groves

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Sunday on Ben Ledi

Posted by admin on November 19th, 2010
Early morning mists, Ben Ledi

Early morning mists, Ben Ledi

Well we’re at long last starting to get back out on the hills a little more regularly and last Sunday we took advantage of another fine day to head for the popular hill Ben Ledi.   It is situated just to the north west of Callander and stands right on the edge of the highlands …giving amazing views from it’s summit, to the bigger hills to the east, west and north, as well as out over the flatter countryside of the central belt to the south.   It’s also a relatively short distance from Glasgow and so, like Ben Lomond, it is a very popular place to walk.

As such we decided to try and get a fairly early start and arrived at the base of the hill about a quarter to nine.  It had been a beautiful drive up passing along the southern edge of the Highlands through Balloch, Drymen and Aberfoyle to Callander.  Anita spotted snow on Ben Lomond as we passed Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond and then said she could see another hill with a good covering of snow on, further to the east …where we were heading.  There certainly looked to be a little more snow than we’d been expecting but as the cloud levels were quite high and the sun was starting to break through, it looked like it was going to be a good day.

There was already a couple of cars parked at the start point and by the time we’d got the boots on and gear ready another couple had arrived along with two mini buses!   The path is a large well made one, a lot of work having to be done to combat the erosion caused by so many boots.  It climbs steeply up through dense mature conifers before breaking out onto the open hillside.  You get fine views right from this point and as we looked back across the glen a thick band of very low cloud drifted below us.  The path follows and then crosses a small stream heading for the broad shoulder of the hill and it was at this level that we reached the first snow.  It’s also on gaining this point that you can see west to the many lochs and hills of the Trossachs.

The summit of Ben Ledi

The summit of Ben Ledi

The path follows the broad grassy ridge gradually up before reaching a final steep section with a good drop developing on its eastern side.  The snow by this stage was a mixture of older and quite icy stuff with a coating of a few centimetres of fresh snow on top …it was lovely.  We decided to stop, have a sandwich, admire the view and put on the spiders …it looked like it might be a bit slippery on the steeper section so seeing as we had them we might as well use them.   As we sat here the occupants of the mini buses (a party of young people with their teachers) all arrived, had instructions about moving carefully in the snow, and then all moved off again.  We gave them a few minutes head start and followed.  It really was beautiful with the sun picking out many of the bigger hills around.  Stuc a’ Chroin to the east of us looked particularly dramatic against quite dark skies behind it and as we reached the summit the big hills around Ben Lawers and Glen Lyon showed up well.

It was the ridge leading away from the summit that really caught the eye though, covered in snow and lit by the sun, it looked stunning as it curved away.  We watched the school party head off along it and a chap from another small party came over and kindly pointed out that you could see all the way to the mountains on the Isle of Arran ….well, he and Anita could …but it was nice to know and I could certainly imagine what they were seeing.  We set off along the broad ridge enjoying the wonderful surroundings before it descended steeply and we were below the snow line.  The route back descends down quite steep slopes before meeting a large track that contours back around under the hill, before entering the forest once again.  We were back to the car by just after three in the afternoon and it had made a great little day.

North from the summit of Ben Ledi

North from the summit of Ben Ledi

Mind you, can’t always get it right.  We’d planned to head out again today but after seeing a forecast that said thick low cloud, we decided to give it a miss ….I have a lot of work on at the moment.  Of course, we got up this morning and there’s blue sky and it all looks great……. ****!

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A Perfect day for spiders

Posted by admin on November 8th, 2010
Above Loch Long

Above Loch Long

Firstly, my apologies for the late arrival of this blog ….last weeks blog in fact.   Suffice to say it’s been another busy week and a visit to Blairmore Gallery on Thursday, a visit from Susie of The Gallery on the Corner, on Friday and working late most evenings meant that doing the blog went clean out of my mind! Oh well better late than never.

I don’t know what it was like else where but here in Irvine it was a pretty miserable week weather wise.  We had a lot of gloomy wet days and so we put off thoughts of another visit into the hills.  However, the forecast for the weekend was much better and so we decided to get out on Sunday.

The Cobbler

The Cobbler

For the last eighteen months, when we’d got out walking we’d been heading for some of the smaller hills and I realised that I hadn’t actually climbed a Munro for quite a long time.  I had a sudden hankering for reaching that magic 914 metres but with the clocks having just changed and it now being November it means short days ….not good when you can’t see too much and are very slow.  We decided therefore to head for Ben Ime, in the Arrochar Alps.  For me, it has the advantage of being reached by good well made paths (so quite fast even with a fuzzy eye) and the final ascent is nearly all on easy grass slopes with just one short steep more rocky section near the top.  Ideally though we’d need to make an early start in order to give me the maximum amount of daylight to do the walk and so we planned to set out from Irvine by 06.30 …this meaning we’d be walking by just before eight o’clock.  As it turned out though, we started an hour later.   Saturday had been very wet but by the evening everything was starting to freeze and we thought that the roads first thing the next morning might be a bit icy …hence leaving the hour later to give things a chance to warm up a little.

View from the lower slopes of Ben Ime

View from the lower slopes of Ben Ime

We reached the car park on shores of Loch Long and were walking by 08.50 and everything looked great.  We had almost clear skies, there was frost on the grass and there was mist drifting over the loch.   The route climbs quite steeply up through a young conifer plantation but still giving plenty of views out over the loch and the village of Arrochar  to Ben Lomond beyond ….and as we climbed we quickly gained enough height to get into the sun …it was lovely.   At last you are high enough to see into the glen leading to The Cobbler …and it’s quite a sight with its very distinctive and dramatic outline.  On your right the hillside climbs steeply to Beinn Narnain and higher up the slopes were quite white, although we weren’t sure if this was thick frost or a thin coating of snow ….or a bit of both as it turned out!  We followed the path up to the col between the north peak of The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain and from this point you get to see Ben Ime, at just over 1000 m, the dominant hill in this area.  The forecast had said that a weather front would come in from the west bringing increasingly strong winds and snow on the hills by the evening and even now the blue skies of the early morning had gone and cloud was moving in …it was very cold too with the ground increasingly frozen.

Near the summit of Ben Ime, a break in the cloud

Near the summit of Ben Ime, a break in the cloud

The good path ends here and the walk across to Ben Ime is normally on boggy muddy ground …but it wasn’t too bad being frozen and we were soon puffing up the what seemed endless grass slopes …and into the cloud …the weather really was deteriorating quite fast and it even started to snow  lightly for a few minutes.  We reached the top and everything was misty and white and with the wind blowing it wasn’t a place to sit and eat a sandwich but it was time to sit and put on the spiders!  For anyone who hasn’t come across these wonderful little instep crampons …(for some reason known as spiders) well, they are a pair of small plastic plates in which are mounted eight pointed metal studs.  The whole thing fits under the instep of your boot and is held there firmly by a strap.  Now, they’re not meant to do the job of real crampons but in conditions like this, frozen ground with patches of water ice and a very thin layer of frost and snow ….they’re perfect.  They give so much extra grip and allow you to walk with more confidence and safety.  This really was a perfect day for spiders and we descended relatively quickly.  As it happened, we had some great if rather brief views near the summit …the cloud suddenly broke and it made all the effort of getting up there worthwhile …Wow.

My frosted guide!

My frosted guide!

With the weather now definitely on the decline and a thick overcast layer of cloud above, the light was getting gloomy very early and so I had to move as fast as possible to get off the hill before all the light faded.  This is where the hours of practice over the last ten years have paid off.  When I need to move fast Nita walks just in front of me telling me all the obstacles, steps and gaps ….in this way even in the descending gloom we moved safely and quite fast.  It started snowing lightly when we reached the top of the long final descent to the road and we were back down to the car by just after a quarter past four and with just a little bit of light to spare.  What a day. Time to eat the sandwiches and drink the coffee we’d carried all the way up and down but had not had time to enjoy on the hill.  We like to use the day to it’s full!

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Research work!

Posted by admin on October 28th, 2010
Ben Chonzie from Meall na Seide

Ben Chonzie from Meall na Seide

When I first set up my studio at the Courtyard Studios in Irvine, my work was based around the man made landscapes of the town and its Harbourside area.  Although I’ve been a keen hill-walker for much of my life I’d  never combined the two interests of walking and painting.  By 2004 though, we were getting out into the Scottish hills on a very regular basis and it was while out on what was my very first real winter walk with our local mountaineering club Air na Creagan, (check out their website www.craggy.org.uk ) that it suddenly dawned on me that I was missing a trick and that I really ought to use my experiences whilst out in the landscape, as the subject for my paintings.  By this time I’d started to get a bit of a reputation at the Courtyard; if the weather was fine I would not be found in my studio …..I’d be out on a hill somewhere!  So then, it made perfect sense to start painting the wilder parts of the Scottish landscape ….and of course, now my days away on the hill could be called research work!

As I’ve said in the past I’ve been invited to put on a solo show of work at The Strathearn Gallery in Crieff  for a month starting on the 12th of February 2011.  For anyone who hasn’t visited this gallery, it’s a fantastic space and Fiona (the gallery owner) has said I’ll need around 40 – 45 pieces ….so quite a lot of work.   As Crieff is situated close to the wild heather clad moors around Loch Turret, it seems to make sense to try to do some paintings based on this area for the exhibition in February.

Anita and I visited Loch Turret back in the late winter / early spring and had a wonderful day wandering the hills.  At the time there was still quite a good deal of snow around and the loch was completely frozen …it was some sight.   So then, last Sunday we decided to head back there and to do a bit more wandering.  I hoped to see it in its autumn colours and to perhaps do some sketching and take some photos.

Picnic Spot

Picnic Spot

The forecast for the weekend was for sun and cold northerly wind ….and for the chance of some snow on the higher tops …especially further north.  As it turned out  Nita spotted the snow up on our hills, from just north of Stirling on the A9.  It looked quite wintry and it didn’t seem any time at all since I was complaining about the heat over in Speyer …where had all the time gone?!

When we got to the dam everything looked beautiful with the autumn colours of the grass, bracken and heather on the lower slopes and the bright white of the snow above about 700m.  But there was a biting cold wind blowing down from the north and I decided that there was little point in taking the sketch book – it would be just too cold.   We followed the same route as back in the spring and although in the wind the conditions were quite severe, once out of it and in the sun, it was really very pleasant. Oh well, too far to go back and get the sketch book. But the light and colours were great. As we got near our high point at a little over 750m we were just into the snow and Ben Chonzie, a couple of kilometres further to the north, looked quite white.

We took a rather circuitous route back, but one that gave us great views down into the strath below. The sun was getting very low as we descended the steep slopes back to the dam and the hillside opposite was coloured vivid yellows and ochres in the late light. It was quite an end to the day and I have come away with a number of ideas for new paintings. Quite a good day’s work!

Late Sun

Late Sun

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A perfect October walk

Posted by admin on October 14th, 2010
Breaking through the cloud, Beinn Odhar

Breaking through the cloud, Beinn Odhar

It’s been ten months since we were last out on a hill with our friend Guy but on Monday we made up for it in style. I’d been trying to fix a date for a walk with Guy since returning from Germany and when we had to cancel the other week due to a problem with the car, it looked as if his comment earlier in the summer, that we’d probably need our axes and crampons by the time we got out together again, might come true!

By the weekend though the forecast for the week ahead was looking good ….especially in the west of Scotland and so with my paintings for the ScotlandArt exhibition finished and both Nita and Guy not working, we booked Monday as the day. We planned to go back to Beinn Odhar above Tyndrum, but this time instead of just doing the quick walk to the summit and back, we aimed to do a bigger circular walk. This ascended by the same route but returned via a long broad grassy ridge stretching behind the village of Tyndrum. We’d looked at this ridge a few times in the past and this seemed the perfect day to test it out …it’d be more than a short walk …but not too big a day for our rather unfit legs!

Towards Ben Lui

Towards Ben Lui

After meeting Guy at the station at just after half past six in the morning we got to Loch Lomond as it was getting light and things were looking good. Ben Lomond was clear as were many of the other hills and the cloud was breaking higher up. The drive up to Crianlarich along the shores of the loch at this time of year on a fine day is great. The trees are all turning to their autumn colours and with almost no wind, these were all reflected in the loch. The higher tops of the Glen Falloch hills and Ben More were still holding cloud but it all looked very promising …exactly how promising though we were still to find out.

On the ridge to Meall Buidhe

On the ridge to Meall Buidhe

Ben Odhar was clear and its upper slopes were catching the early morning sun as we set off up the West Highland Way out of Tyndrum heading for the base of the hill. It was definitely autumn and there was a real chill in the air and frost on the parked cars. We left the WHW at its high point between Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy and headed straight up the hill. There’s no messing with this route, its steep grassy slopes for much of the way, passing some old mines about half way up. It never ceases to amaze me that people came to work here each day at some point in the past.

Towards-Meall-Buidhe

Towards-Meall-Buidhe

Very quickly as we gained height, a thick blanket of low cloud rolled in and we were soon in mist with no views to ease the steepness of the climb. But it really wasn’t very substantial cloud and we had a feeling that we might just bob out of the top with a bit of luck. And that is exactly what happened. Around about 750m the sun broke through and we found ourselves looking out over a layer of white cloud that stretched south of us. Above was clear blue sky and the sun was very warm. But it’s the views of all the other hills sticking up out of the cloud that really catch the eye …it was stunningly beautiful. We could see the chain of hills from Ben More to Ben Lomond, along with Ben Lui and its neighbours. Strangely north of our hill there was little or no cloud and we could see all the way down into the glen below in this direction.

Just below the summit

Just below the summit

Just above this point the steep slopes ease to a small level section in which a small loch sits immediately below the final steep and boulder strewn section of the hill…..a perfect spot sit and just take in the beauty of the location and these amazing conditions. The final clamber up to the cairn at the top of Ben Odha at just over 900m opened up even bigger views and all of our cameras were working overtime!

Our route back led first down steep slopes SE to another wee loch and then followed the broad grassy ridge in a southerly direction across to Meall Buidhe at 653m. By this stage much of the mist had cleared and so the whole time we were walking in warm bright sun. From Meall Buidhe it was a case of following the ridge to its end and then descending to a bridge over the railway and onto the West Highland Way again. We were now at a point a few kilometres south of Tyndrum and so it was just an easy and very pleasant walk back along the WHW to the car.

This was a fantastic day and the circular route and stunning conditions made for a perfect October walk.

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Holiday booking – May 2011

Posted by admin on June 18th, 2010

On Cul Mor, Assynt

On Cul Mor, Assynt

I was talking with my partner yesterday evening about the various commitments I have for 2011. Despite it being some time away I already have a number of things lined up. In February I have a solo show of work at the Strathearn Gallery in Creiff …it’s a big space and will take a lot of filling – around 45 pieces of work apparently. Later, in the autumn, I’ve been invited to show work as part of the 2011 Dundee Mountain Film Festival. This runs for one weekend but each year they invite one artist and one photographer to show a selection of their work as part of the festival. At some stage next year, possibly in August, I’ve been invited to show work in a group exhibition at the Queens Gallery in Dundee. So then, as I say, I have a few things lined up ….and no holiday booked! As I’ve said in past blogs, we normally go away for the first two weeks in May and so, not as to miss out, we decided to book a place well ahead ….otherwise I’ll agree to something and we’ll miss our spring trip to the Highlands!

´From the summit, Ben Stack'

´From the summit, Ben Stack'

I think I must be getting old because in the past we always used to go somewhere different each year. Back in 2006 however we ventured north to Assynt for the first time ….and fell in love with the place. We went back the following year and then again last year. Guess what? We’re booking again for 2011! The thing is, it’s not just the stunning landscape, the beautiful spring colours, the magnificent wildlife and the friendly welcome everywhere, it’s also that we’ve found the most idyllic little place in which to stay. Being walkers, we like to get out early and arrive back late …and so we’re not really hotel or B&B people ….we like to self cater and then we can do exactly what we want to do at the time we want to do it. In 2006 we were looking for just such a place, either a cottage or static caravan ….and while Nita was trawling through the web pages she came across one advertising ‘Hill head Caravans’ in Achmelvich on the coast just north of Lochinver. It sounded perfect – a small group of vans set just back from a beautiful sandy beach …and just four miles from Lochinver. Well to call it perfect is an understatement. When we arrived that first holiday we couldn’t really believe quite what we’d found. You get to Achmelvich on a small single track road with stunning views down to a little sea loch below and bigger views across to the Assynt peaks. The wee road winds its way down to the community of Achmelvich. Maysie and Durrant MacLeod, the owners of the small site, were so friendly on our arrival and the vans were spotless, set just five minutes from the beach. In early May it was fairly quite here and when we set eyes on the beautiful curving white sands of the beach …there was hardly anyone else on it …just numerous birds and an odd seal bobbing about in the bay …wow, what a place to stay for two weeks.

'Suilven from Canisp, Assynt'

'Suilven from Canisp, Assynt'

We were lucky the first year there, the weather was very kind to us, it being hot and sunny and dry most of the time. We had wonderful days walking and exploring some of the famous Assynt hills, Canisp, Suilven, Conival and Quinag and spent less active days wandering along the rocky coastline or just sitting enjoying the peace and quiet of Achmelvich.

In the end then, it’s hardly surprising that we went back two more times …there’s hills a plenty and peace and quiet enough to un-wrangle the most stressed out brain. Here is to May 2011 and another bit of pure Scottish magic.

For more information click Hillhead in Achmelcich, Assynt.

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Removals, wanders and warbles

Posted by admin on May 6th, 2010

Below White Caterthun

Below White Caterthun

I think I may have mentioned already that we have the builders in at the Courtyard Studios. They’re creating new studio spaces in the loft area and refurbishing the older studio building. So, when it’s all finished in June everything is going to look good and we’ll have space for a few new artists and craftspeople …so if you’re Ayrshire based and looking for studio space it’d be worth contacting WASPS …see the link at the side of this page. Of course the work is creating a little bit of mayhem as everyone has to move out and into a spare space while their studio is done. It’s going pretty well though and the new studio spaces are looking good. As I’m going to be away soon, the work in my studio is not starting until next week, but with all the jobs still needing to be done prior to my trip to Speyer, I decided it would be easier to clear my studio a week early …taking everything home. It’s surprising just how much junk you can accumulate in a couple of years and my studio was no exception. It took Anita and I most of last weekend to clear the space and cart all of the stuff home …and today I passed the keys over to the builders. The work will be finished by the end of May and so Anita will be using the space for a couple of days a week while I’m in Germany….she can be the first one to splash paint on the newly refurbished studio!

With the removal work all completed, my next job was to pack some of my painting gear and get it sent across to Speyer. This actually turned out to be easier than expected (well, if the stuff arrives OK that is) and yesterday a large old banana box full of paint, pastels and brushes was collected from my house and is as I type winging it’s way to Speyer. With a bit of luck it’ll be waiting for me on Tuesday next and I’ll be able to ‘hit the ground running’, as they say.

From the White Caterthun, Angus

From the White Caterthun, Angus

On Thursday we decided to take a wee break and drove up to see our friend Norma who lives in Angus. We do a walk or two with her most years and she is the coordinator for the ‘summer mountain skills course for visually impaired’ that is run at Glenmore Lodge by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. It’s a fantastic course that is now in it’s tenth year …if you’re interested in learning more about the course, check out the Glenmore Lodge website …a quick ‘Google’ should find it.

Anyway, we had a great little visit and on Friday morning Norma suggested we do a short walk over a couple of local hills – the White and Brown Caterthuns. These wee hills sit on the edge of the Angus hills and each has an ancient hill fort at the top. Apparently they’re of different ages and the White Caterthun is very obvious, being a very large circle of piled stone. The weather last Friday morning was pretty fine with lots of sun but large shower clouds brewing. As we reached the top of White Caterthun and started to wander around the old fort or dun, we found ourselves being rained on…quite heavily! One of these big shower clouds had crept up on us. It didn’t last long and the views out across the Angus countryside were really beautiful. The Brown Caterthun lies a couple of kilometres away but to us, there didn’t really seem to be much sign of the ancient fort when we got there …but then again as both Norma and I are registered as blind, that’s not saying much!

The Angus countryside from White Caterthun

The Angus countryside from White Caterthun

It wasn’t the biggest walk I’ve ever done but it really was very enjoyable. Just getting out in such beautiful countryside does a lot of good especially in such a busy and hectic time. As we walked past a wee coppice of trees I heard the first Willow Warbler of the summer ….what more can you want?

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A modest little mountain, a massive view

Posted by admin on April 9th, 2010

Beinn Dorain

Beinn Dorain

Well then, we did get out on the hill again last week as planned. We headed for a very modest little hill tucked in at the side of Ben Challum, not far from Crianlarich. It’s called Beinn Chaorach and it’s no more than a long grassy whale-back that rises to a little over 800m, but it is in a perfect location, offering a wonderful view all around. It also has one other important benefit ….especially on an Easter bank holiday weekend …it’s not very popular with most walkers and so you usually have the place to yourself.

We didn’t leave particularly early as the forecast was for cloud and patchy rain clearing as the day progressed. It made more sense to have a late start and to make the most of the lighter evenings. This worked out well as the cloud was well down on the tops when we arrived with just occasional breaks….but it looked promising for later in the day.

We left the car at the side of the A82 (the normal starting point for the Munro, Ben Challum) and followed the West Highland Way for a couple of kilometres before heading off towards our hill along a rough estate track. The heavy snow of earlier in the week was still much in evidence with the hillsides splattered with big snow patches all the way up from track level to around 750m above which there was a more overall cover. The estate track leads around the end of Beinn Chaorach and then along the glen between it and Ben Challum. All the way along were the remains of deep snow drifts and virtually every gully and hollow were filled with snow creating wonderful patterns on the hillsides. The cloud was rising as we wandered our way along the track and although there was more sun we were also caught in a couple of snow showers that drifted in from the west and made everything very atmospheric.

Ben Challum

Ben Challum

After a couple of kilometres the path enters a large fenced off area …protected by both a standard and electric fence. These were to keep deer and sheep out to allow the vegetation to regenerate naturally. Thankfully there was a stile but the track only continues for a short distance and from that point on it becomes a very rough walk indeed to get to the stile another kilometre away at the far side of the enclosure. At this end of the glen there are numerous small streams to cross and each one was covered with snow. We could hear the water underneath but it took some careful prodding with the walking poles to locate and avoid falling through the snow and into the water. We didn’t escape completely unscathed ….my partner Nita followed me across one such snow covered stream ..and ended up to her knees in snow with her boots in the water. That’s what comes of the guide following the blind man I guess! She went back to leading straight after that.

Ben More & Stob Binnein from Beinn Chaorach

Ben More & Stob Binnein from Beinn Chaorach

From the far side of the enclosure it’s just a short walk to the wide beallach and this opens up a vast panorama of snow covered and very shapely peaks, Beinn Dorain, Beinn an Dothaidh and Beinn a’ Caisteil to name but a few. From here we climbed gradually gaining the far end of Ben Chaorach and following its broad and increasingly snowy back all the way to the old trig point marking the summit. The snow up here was much firmer and made for good walking. It looked particularly good too as the wind had scoured the surface creating numerous little ridges and subtle eddies …every one of them now picked out by the late afternoon sun. The bigger view all around was quite breathtaking but our gaze was drawn to the peaks of Ben More and Stob Binnien, caked in snow and looking every bit of their 1170m. Wow! Just below the summit there was a large pan of smooth snow and as we’d not really had a lunch break, we decided that this would be the ideal spot. It was so quiet and as planned we hadn’t met a soul the whole day. At one point Nita had spotted some climbers making their way along the ridge towards the main summit of Ben Challum but there was no one over on this hill.

The walk off Ben Chaorach is so easy …even when you can’t really see where you’re putting your feet. It was one of the most relaxed descents I’ve ever done. Usually the descent is the difficult bit for me. It’s normally very slow and surprisingly tiring …much more so than climbing the hill in the first place.

From Beinn Chaorach

View From Beinn Chaorach

This though was a real pleasure and by the time we were back on the WHW there was virtually no cloud in the sky and we arrived back to the car in the beautiful late evening sun. It was a perfect day.

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A walk last March

Posted by admin on April 1st, 2010

Approaching A'Chailleach

Approaching A'Chailleach

It’s amazing just how quickly a year passes. Earlier today I was thinking about where we could go for a walk later this week. I decided to see where we went this time last year and found that we’d been up on the ridge above Glen Coe. My old friend from college days, the sculptor Keith Barrett was over from North Shields for a brief visit and so we decided to have a day on the hills.

The walk we took him on is not a difficult one, but it is in one of the most spectacular regions of Scotland. After an early start we arrived at the base of the Devils Staircase (the point where the West Highland Way climbs up away from Glen Coe and over to Kinlochleven. I had hoped for beautiful weather so that Keith could see the amazing scenery around …but alas we found thick heavy low cloud shrouding all the hills and there was rain in the air.

Breaking weather, above Glen Coe

Breaking weather, above Glen Coe

We headed off all the same, following the well built path of the West Highland Way as it gained height and zigzagged its way onto the shoulder of the hill. At the high point we turned left, leaving the popular and well used path and headed off up along the broad grassy and very wet ridge. The weather hadn’t improved at all and we were into the cloud … not even the slightest of views …so infuriating after travelling for almost two and a half hours to get there! It was looking like being a bit of a miserable day but as we gained height we got into some big patches of snow and even in the cloud this makes things look so much better.

After a while the ridge narrows somewhat and you follow the edge of a fine escarpment …which if we wanted to could be followed all the way to the start of the famous Aonach Eagach ridge. To our amazement as we gained height the cloud started to break and brightness started to appear. The escarpment had the remains of a cornice all the way along …in places you could see where it was breaking away, creating deep cracks in the snow that were a deep blue colour.

The Glen Coe mountains

The Glen Coe mountains

A strong bitterly cold wind was blowing now and clearing the cloud…all around us appeared snow capped peaks …it really was an amazing sight. We sat near the top of A’Chailleach ( just over 900m), sheltered from the wind by a large crag and just enjoyed the wildness and splendour of Glen Coe. We hadn’t seen a soul since leaving the WHW and it remained like this as we wandered our way back in bright sunshine. A classic little day in the Scottish Highlands …we had a bit of nearly everything.

Hopefully we’ll get something equally good later this week when we head out with another old friend from Falmouth School of Art. The last time I walked with him it rained heavily for six hours; better luck this time!

Photos by Anita Groves

114 'Towards Am Bodach, Glen Coe', Acrylic & Pastel, 2009, 30 x 30 cm

'Towards Am Bodach, Glen Coe'

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Winter Patterns

Posted by admin on March 12th, 2010

It’s back to normal today with paperwork all this morning. I’ve finally sent my claim in for the North Ayrshire Council Business Development Grant. I was awarded this a few months ago. The council heard what I was doing and came to the studio to see if there was any way they could help. I explained that we were planning to re design the website in order to help promote my work and therefore sales and they said they offered 50% grants for small businesses to help them develop their web based business. Anyone who has explored this site will have seen the changes we’ve been making and hopefully like them. It’s great to get such excellent local support and indeed I’ve just made my first sale as a direct result of the new ‘work for sale’ page on the website …so then, a good start and a big ‘thank you’ to North Ayrshire Council for their support.

Ben Chonzie, near Crieff, Scotland

Towards Ben Chonzie

Anyway, yesterday we got out into the hills again …a proper hill walk – the wind was too cold to sit down and sketch. But it was a great day and I came away with many ideas for new work. We’ve wanted to get up to the hills around Loch Turret, a reservoir situated above Crieff in Perthshire. It’s a wonderful location with high rolling heather clad hills rising on either side of the loch and the big lump of Ben Chonzie (931 m) rising beyond the far end.

As we drove towards Crieff though we had our doubts as to whether we would be able to get up to the parking area by the dam …there was still loads of snow piled at the sides of the main road …it didn’t look to hopeful for the narrow road that climbs up to the dam. But we needn’t have worried, Crieff itself was clear of snow and the wee road was fine, though there was still much snow higher up. It had been an early start; I was up at 4.30am and we left Irvine at just after 6am …but it was worth while. Climbing out of the car at the dam we were surrounded by a magnificent patchwork of snow and grass and crag. It looked like being a great day. As we got to the dam and looked over we were met my the amazing sight of Loch Turret completely frozen over …it was a strange colour – a mixture of greys, pale duck egg blues and purples…wow….and we’d barely started the day.

Walking Near Ben Chonzie, Scotland

The Frozen Waters of Loch Turret

We decided that we’d not try and get to Ben Chonzie (the munro). It’s a lengthy walk to the summit and back and although we’ve done it in the past, we aren’t quite as fit at present. We decided instead to head straight up the hill side above the dam and to follow the rising broad ridge around and over Beinn Liath and on to the craggy little top of Carn Chois at 786 m. This is a grand view point from where the main bulk of Ben Chonzie can be seen. The hillsides above the dam were a complete mixture of grass, heather and snow patches. Most of the snow was quite soft lower down and so we kept mainly to the grass and heather as we clambered quite steeply up to the first little top – and what a view point it was. Overlooking the dam you could see all the way along the loch to the bigger hills …and as always happens at times like this, I got jaw ache from smiling so much …it was simply stunning. Beyond this wee top there was a slight descent and a long level curving sweep of good firm snow leading to the next bit of ‘up’. This snow was perfect for walking and being level I could stride off without my guide for a few hundred metres. Something of a rarity for me these days!

Looking Down on Loch Turret

Looking Down on Loch Turret

As we gained height the wind really started to blow. Bad weather was forecast for the west and we could see it building up, but over Loch Turret we still had much sun shine and beautiful colours. By this stage my partner Nita had already spotted quite a few mountain hares – all still with their white winter coats. This is a great place for spotting hares and in the past I’ve even spotted a few as they’ve run from the snow onto areas of dark heather …they’re just small white moving blurs to me! That said, I missed them yesterday. At one point as we topped a rise not far from Carn Chois, we apparently scared off around 20 hares. We retraced our steps a short way back along the ridge and then descended to the loch side and a difficult walk through soggy deep snow back to the dam and the car …what a day.

Video: Above Loch Turret, March 2010

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