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Posts Tagged ‘Scottish mountains’

‘Below Goat Fell, winter’

3 'Below Goat Fell, winter', Graphite pencil on paper, 2013, 125 x  80 cm

‘Below Goat Fell, winter’

 ‘Below Goat Fell, winter’, Graphite pencil on paper, 2013, 125 x 80 cm

We’re heading over to the Isle of Arran and Glen Rosa again tomorrow.  I need to walk up to the head of the glen to do some more sketching and to take some more photos as preparation for my big drawing project in November and December this year.  I am starting to get quite a good idea now as to how to go about this big piece of work and tomorrows visit to the glen will hopefully give me all the information I need.   That said, the forecast is a little ‘iffy’ so if the cloud is right down we may have to make another visit later in the summer.

Anyway, this got me thinking about the work I’d already done on Glen Rosa and I thought I’d use this drawing as my ‘artwork of the week’.  This is one of several I’ve created as trial pieces for the big drawing ….this is approximately 125 x 80 cm and is currently at the studio …rolled up.  Should you like to see it up close however …do pop into the studio.

Big space

East of Glen Shee ....a lot of open space

East of Glen Shee ….a lot of open space

Last July Nita and I drove up to Glen Shee with the intention of walking four of the big grassy Munros to the north east of the ski centre. It’s quite a big walk but the hills are mainly grassy and it’s easy underfoot, so it should have been a very pleasant day. As it turned out it was a little too pleasant…….. we’d gone in the middle of the hottest part of the summer. When we reached Glen Shee at about half past eight in the morning it was already baking hot and we quickly decided to do a shorter walk to match the conditions. Instead of walking all four hills we did a more leisurely circuit over the nearest two tops.

So, after a busy week for both Nita and I last week, we decided at the last minute to make the most of a good forecast for Saturday and headed back to Glen Shee ….this time with the aim of walking the two more distant hills we’d missed in the heat last year. This time when we reached the ski centre at the top of Glen Shee it was perfect conditions for a walk ….high cloud with patchy sun and a gentle breeze……so good in fact that we just had to stop at the ski centre cafe for coffee and biscuits first!

From the broad ridge near Cairn of Claiss

From the broad ridge near Cairn of Claiss

The hills were looking great as we made our way uphill from the starting point about a kilometre below the ski centre, with big patches of snow picking out the edges of corries and filling hollows. There were particularly big areas of snow on the north slopes of Glas Meol and at one point Nita spotted a big herd of deer running across one of them. I have to say, that we were amazed at just how dry everywhere was…..it certainly didn’t look like there had been anywhere near as much rain there as we’d had up in Assynt the previous two weeks. Large areas of peat were starting to dry out and crack and it made for very pleasant walking.

Our route took us out past Cairn of Claiss, one of the two hills we’d walked back in the heat last summer. This high boulder strewn top makes a very good view point but we decided to keep going rather than making the short detour up the boulders and stones to the summit. Even so, the feeling of space here is really strong. The high, open and wild grass and heather covered hills stretch away in all directions ……you seem very small indeed in this magnificent setting. It had taken us about two and a half hours to reach Cairn of Claiss and, as we’d been walking the reverse of the route suggested in the Munro guide, we’d seen no one at all ….despite there being half a dozen vehicles parked in the car park.

A view from Tom Buidhe

A view from Tom Buidhe

Our walk then took us out across the open slopes towards Tom Buidhe…our first top of the day. Still classified as a Munro, (it’s a very strange business!) but being of less height than its neighbours beyond, Tom Buidhe rather merges into the landscape when seen from Cairn of Claiss but still makes a good view point from it’s lonely little summit cairn. It’s neighbour and our second top of the day, Tolmount, lay just a kilometre or so away and by this time we were meeting many of the occupants of the parked cars …for an hour or so the hills seemed quite busy …although in all honesty we probably only saw about 20 other folks the whole day.

Approaching the top of Tolmount

Approaching the top of Tolmount

It’s just a small descent and rise from Tom Buidhe to Tolmount and from the second hill you get a great view down the steep sided glen to Loch Callater . For us, it had just been a gentle wander up grassy slopes to reach the summit of Tolmount but from Jock’s Road down in the glen it must look quite an imposing sight.

We wandered our way back in increasingly bright and warm sunshine and this time made the detour up to the top of Cairn of Claiss ……the views by this time in the early evening were taking on a strangely blue hue and with everyone else back in their cars by this stage, Nita and I had a very quiet descent, enjoying the lengthening shadows and rich evening colours.

We’re off back to Glen Rosa on Friday in order for me to do some more preliminary drawings as preparation for the big drawing project in November and December. It’s going to be a working walk I guess….. it’s much better than being in an office though!!

Photos by Anita Groves

Spring colours

A remnant for the old Caledonian Forest

A remnant for the old Caledonian Forest

What a difference a few days make.  After last weeks very grey and cloudy walk on Tinto, this week we saw the Scottish landscape at its very best under almost clear blue skies.  The colours everywhere were stunning and although we only walked a fairly small hill we managed to spend over nine hours in the process.  It was such a stunningly beautiful day that it just demanded that we keep stopping to look and take in the scene.

I really love this time of year with winter still very much around, (we set off with frost covering everything and the bigger hills white with snow) but summer closing in rapidly.  It was great too that even setting off from Irvine at just after 06.00 there was light in the sky and the sun rose over the Glasgow sky-line as we crossed the Erskine Bridge heading north.

We were making for Tyndrum but not for Meall Odhar which had been our original target last week, but for its neighbour across the glen, Fiarach 652 m.  We’ve never walked this hill and it was only last week while pawing over the map with my magnifier looking for the route up Meall Odhar that I spotted it and started looking for a route to it too.  It’s basically the high point of a large area of wild upland ground  that is surrounded on all sides by the higher hills, Ben More, Ben Challum, Beinn Dubhchraig and Ben Lui …to name but a few.  It’s a fine location that just demands a perfect day ….and what better than a clear, cold early spring Wednesday in March?

Ben More from Fiarach

Ben More from Fiarach

As we wanted to stretch our legs a bit more this week, we decided to park the car in the village of Tyndrum and walk back along the West Highland Way the few kilometres to the big bridge crossing the river flowing out of Cononish Glen.  This is a beautiful little section of the West Highland Way ….a proper little footpath the meanders its way along through mixed woodland and alongside streams .  The views from this path alone were superb and we got good views of the hill we were going to walk.  From the river bridge we left the WHW and followed an estate track that lead over the railway and then lead around the flanks of Fiarach for a couple more kilometres to a large area of conifer plantation.  On the way it went through a fabulous area of the old Caledonian forest that made this truly highland scene even more so.

At the start of the plantation it was simply a case of making our way up the open hillside, at first along side the trees and then climbing above them.  I have to say that I’ve never been too impressed with these conifer plantations but on this occasion I was pleasantly surprised.  We stopped level with the top corner of the plantation and sat down in bright sun to catch our breath, give the aching calf muscles a rest and to take in the views.  As we did we were aware of all of the bird song coming from the dense trees to our left.  One bird in particular ….we think it was probably a Thrush, was singing at the top of its voice and it made the place even more special.

Nita at the summit of Fiarach

Nita at the summit of Fiarach

A little higher up and the steep slopes eased and we came into the first big patches of snow.  It’s a hummocky area of grass, moss, small crags and numerous little lochs and pools.  The biggest of these, Lochain Fiarach, was almost completely frozen and had varying amounts of snow lying on it …where it was just ice, it was a beautiful shade of blue, green, and grey and this turned paler to white around the edges ….it reminded me of the ‘white’ sandy beaches we saw last year on the west coast of Harris.

Despite the generally featureless nature of the ground up here, the summit itself was a surprise ….set atop a craggy little spine that rose 30 or 40 metres above the rest of the moor.  It made a great setting and a wonderful place to stand and take in all the bigger snow capped peaks around.  The nearest of these, Beinn Dubhchraig looked particularly massive and Nita could make out three tiny figures plodding up the heavily snow covered slopes towards its summit.  We  stopped numerous times to sit and look and enjoy the colours, textures and patterns …and were impressed  to find two other visitors to this little hill ….a pair of what we think were Golden Plovers.

The summit of Fiarach from Lachain Fiarach

The summit of Fiarach from Lachain Fiarach

This really was a fine day …..it had a similarity to the wee hill, Ghlas Bheinn on the edge of Rannoch Moor that we tend to visit most years.  I definitely think we’ll be back to Fiarach again next spring.

An Teallach commission almost finished

Near the summit of Mam-na-Gualainn - Starting point for a commission

Near the summit of Mam-na-Gualainn – Starting point for a commission

As anyone following my blog or FB Keith Salmon – Scottish Landscape Artist page will know, I’ve been working on a painting about An Teallach for a chap we met near the top of Mam na Gualainn back in the late summer.

It’s been a really interesting process and yesterday I decided that the painting was probably finished ….and I signed it!   I’ve been trying to create a painting that captures both, the idea of being at the summit of An Teallach as well as a more general feeling of being up high in the Scottish mountains.

The painting is now on the wall in my studio while I get on with some other work.  I’ll be able to look at it for a couple of weeks and make any final adjustments before declaring the painting finally finished!  It’s a difficult process knowing when a painting is finished or not and you have to give it  some time.  I’ve worked fairly intensely on this piece and as I’ve neared the end there’s been a lot of just sitting and looking rather than wielding of the paint brush.

 The photo here was taken near the summit of Mam na Gualainn …..it’s a strange starting point for a commission ….but a very fine one.  Hopefully the gentleman who we met here and who has commissioned the painting will like it.  More news of this in another blog.

Long hot days

Heading for Creag Mhor...just 12 hours to go!

Heading for Creag Mhor…just 12 hours to go!

When you get a week of really fine weather, you just have to try and make the most of it.  For some that might be having a barbecue or going to the beach but for Nita and me, it’s all about wandering over the hills and using the long day light hours to the full.   We would normally only get out once in a week but with the forecast so good we decided to try and get two walks in instead.  Taking both of our work commitments into consideration we basically had two possible days to get out, Sunday and Tuesday.  Sunday and Wednesday would have been perfect, giving us two days to recover in between walks rather than just one ….but what the heck, you can’t have everything!  So then, Sunday to Glen Lochy and Creag Mhor, Tuesday up to Glen Shee and the possibility of walking a lengthy route over four tops.

An early start required for both days and Sunday dawned …..thick grey heavy cloud and drizzle ….everything in the garden was dripping wet when I let the cat out after his breakfast at just after four o’clock!  Where was the promised heat wave?!  In all honesty though, the MWIS forecasts had predicted these conditions for the west coast and Central Belt but it was still a shock …never good setting out in the rain in the hope of better things to come.

Cotton grass, Glen Lochy

Cotton grass, Glen Lochy

But of course, they did.  By the time we were driving up the side of Loch Lomond the cloud was breaking and had all but gone as we arrived in Glen Lochy …it was after all, going to be a baking hot day.  Dripping, not with drizzle but factor 50+, we headed off on the long walk up the glen to the base of Creag Mhor.

Into Glen Lochy from the top of the steep!

Into Glen Lochy from the top of the steep!

The previous time we’d been to Glen Lochy we’d been very lax with our navigation ….and in fine weather had ended up trying to get up the hill by the wrong ridge ….and were turned back by some very impressive crags.  This time we were going to keep our eyes on the map and make sure we were on the correct ridge. Even so, we had an interesting time getting through the crags on this ridge.  We eventually got to the end of the ridge via a rather steep and unpleasant gully, me swearing rather too much as I groped around in my fuzzy world for good hand and foot holds amongst the very steep turf, heather and rocks.  Nita was fine of course, clambering up with my walking poles in one hand and offering cheery ‘its fine, you’re fine’ comments to give me confidence …and try to assure me that she wasn’t really trying to kill me!  We hauled up onto the broad grassy ridge to see a fine view of Creag Mhor ahead and much to my relief, a very easy descent route for later!  We arrived at the summit of Creag Mhor at about half past three and all the effort was well worth while …big hazy views all around …absolutely stunning.

At last ....almost at the top of Creag Mhor

At last ….almost at the top of Creag Mhor

Having taken six hours to get to the summit, it was going to be a very long day.  After the excitement of the gully earlier in the day, our descent to the track in the glen, was a doddle ….and very beautiful too, but as we’d come down on the west side of the hill, we’d have even further to walk back. With very little breeze now, it was a hot slog back to the car, arriving there just a few minutes over twelve hours after setting out.  At that point we were both asking ourselves whether we’d be up for another long day in the heat on Tuesday.

View of the day!

View of the day!

The answer in short, was ‘yes’, but in even hotter conditions than on Sunday, we quickly down graded our plans and decided instead to do a shorter walk with plenty of stops.  It was a good decision as it was just so hot with just an occasional breeze.  It turned out a perfect walk….the high-light for me being a short detour to see the wonderful Loch Kander, tucked away in a dramatic and impressive corrie at the far side of Carn an Tuirc.  We sat perched on the edge of this steep corrie and just enjoyed the peace and quiet…… perfect, much better than what would have been a forced march if we’d tried to complete our original route.  This time we were back at the car about half past five …and back in Irvine while it was still light …..very civilised indeed.

The perfect lunch spot ..above Loch Kander, the Glen Shee Hills

The perfect lunch spot ..above Loch Kander, the Glen Shee Hills

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Variations on a theme

 'Approaching snow shower, Scottish Highlands'

'Approaching snow shower, Scottish Highlands'

Over the last few years I’ve done several versions of some of my paintings. Most of these started out as small 30 x 30 cm paintings but I’ve started to develop them at the bigger 80 x 80 cm size.

Revisiting a painting is not simply a case of reproducing the original but rather it’s a chance to create something that is new but on the same theme. One can try slightly different compositions, colours and marks, perhaps in a way, forgetting the original place and simply developing the paint and pastel.

The move from 30 x 30cm to 80 x 80cm has been particularly interesting. The increased surface area of the painting allows so much more scope, particularly with the consistency of the paint and the means by which it is applied.

The paintings included here are all based on a particular event one afternoon several years ago when I was walking with a group from our local club Air na Creagan. It was sometime in February I seem to remember and we’d travelled up to Braemar on a Friday evening with the aim of climbing Lochnagar the following day. We’d booked into the youth hostel for the weekend and were all looking forward to some good winter walking. Quite how wintry it was to be only became apparent as the weekend approached and we watched the forecasts. We arrived in Braemar in the early evening, crossing the high road through Glen Shee in the dark but with the first few flakes of snow falling lightly out of the gloom and being caught in the light of the headlights. As was customary on such weekends, first stop after arriving was the local hotel for food and a beer and by the time we started walking back up the street to the youth hostel it was snowing if not hard, then certainly steadily. Talk before we went to bed was of planning something less taxing than Lochnagar. If it carried on snowing over night we’d not even get the cars to the start point let alone want to tackle what might be thick fresh snow. In the end, the alternative was to do a circular walk out of Braemar and up and over Morone ….a gentle hill of I seem to remember around 800 m.

'Below Morone_ approaching snow shower'

'Below Morone_ approaching snow shower'

In the morning we arose to a good few centimetres of snow and although not too bad it wasn’t really the weather to be driving too far on small roads …and the wind had really picked up, so it would be uncomfortable higher up. Everywhere did look pretty wonderful though as we walked through the little town and picked up the path zig zagging its way up the slopes of Morone. But what a difference as we got out onto the high open and unprotected slopes near the summit. The snow was coming in heavy and quite lengthy showers and as they blew in the winds increased dramatically. There is a radio mast at the top with an access land drover track leading to it from the other side of the hill and at that point we stopped in the slight shelter offered by the wall of the hut. The wind chill up there was severe and despite this being a very modest little hill, this certainly wasn’t the place to hang around. Our planned route led across the summit plateau and then descended into a glen …before an easy walk back out and into the town. The walk across the top of the hill was difficult though…. the snow being blasted along horizontally in a real blizzard. It was hard to see for a while until eventually we started to descend into the glen ..and once again got some shelter from the surrounding hills. After a bit of a battle through in places quite deep snow we picked up another estate track and decided to sit for a while and catch up on a late lunch. As we sat there, we watched the sky darken and then very rapidly this huge snow shower poured over the hilltop at the end of the glen and raced towards us. It was a very impressive sight and one that has stuck with me….it is also the subject of these five paintings.

'Snow shower, Central Highlands'

'Snow shower, Central Highlands'

The snow didn’t go away over night and on Sunday morning we arose to quite thick snow …15 + cm and it was still falling.,. The Glen Shee road was closed and after waiting for several hours for it to ease, we set out for home…..along the only road out …..a tricky drive east to Aberdeen and then back via Dundee! As the whole of Scotland had been hit by the snow none of the roads were very good and our journey back to Ayrshire took many hours. It was quite a weekend!

'Approaching snow shower, above Braemar'

'Approaching snow shower, above Braemar'

 

'Approaching snow shower, above Braemar'

'Approaching snow shower, above Braemar'

 

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What’s the weather like in April?

 

Across to Stob Binean, April 08

Across to Stob Binean, April 08

A few months ago I had a phone call from a friend in Speyer.   She said that the choir she sang with was visiting the UK to do a concert in Spaulding in April.  She asked if she could visit us for a few days after the concert.  I said that that would be fine, but then she asked the dreaded question ….  ‘What’s the weather like in April in Scotland? Will it be nice?’

Wow ….how do you answer that with any degree of honesty?  At the time I blustered something about, it often being beautiful in April in Scotland and that it could be quite good.  After replacing the receiver I realised that I hadn’t mentioned that it could be  ****** cold at this time of year too and that we’d had several very exciting days walking the hills in the snow in April.  Indeed, on an April day a few years ago, we had very snowy conditions on the east ridge of Ben More.  April can be a wonderful month but it really is a delicate balance between winter and summer,  especially in the Scottish mountains.  Perhaps I should have added the proviso that she brings a couple of warm jumpers just in case!

 

On Ben More, April 08

On Ben More, April 08

As far as I know, Andrea is not a hill walker, so I doubt we’ll have such problems next week when she arrives.  In fact, I’ve just checked out the Mountain Weather Information Service website to see what the forecast is looking like for the week ahead …and well, it’s looking pretty good.  For anyone who hasn’t found this amazing weather service then I would thoroughly recommend it.  They provide a free and very accurate forecast for the mountains.  The forecasts are divided into different regions of Scotland and are updated every day.  There is a main forecast for the day and then forecasts for the two following days.  At the end they have a ‘planning ahead’ report that outlines a very general prediction for the coming week.  We’ve been using the MWIS forecasts for the last almost ten years and although as with any forecast they aren’t always exact …they are, on the whole, very accurate and you can plan your day out with  confidence.

We had as I think I mentioned the other week, been hoping to head up to Ben Nevis on day soon …not to climb it all the way but instead to walk up a path the gives excellent views of its dramatic northern face.  Our friend Guy has done this several times and said he’d like to take us there on a good day.  He reckons it will be an excellent place for me to do some sketching and take some photos and from what I heard, he’s right.

 

Guy and I on Ben More, April 08

Guy and I on Ben More, April 08

As usual it’s been difficult fixing dates that all three of us can make and in the end it came down to just two available days this month …today and tomorrow.  Of course though, it’s a very long way to drive for just a day trip …three and a half hours each way and so it’s only worth doing if the weather is fine and we get the views.  Then on Monday came the news from Guy that he’d hurt his leg while out walking on the hills above Largs.  A very experienced hill walker, having tackled many of the classic routes in Scotland, he had simply slipped on some wet grass just short of the main path back into town.  He hobbled back to the station  and got home but later found he had in fact fractured a bone in his leg.   He is currently sat with his lower leg in plaster …so if you’re reading this Guy,……get well soon.   As I’m typing this now I’m obviously not on Ben Nevis ….it’s grey and quite wet outside and the forecast for further north was not good enough to warrant the long drive north.  We’re keeping an eye on the MWIS forecast and may head out on Sunday instead as it looks like it might be beautiful.  Andrea arrives in Scotland on Monday so I’m hoping for glorious weather …we’re planning to take her over to the Isle of Arran one day and if the sun is out it’ll look stunning.  Let’s hope she sees Scotland at its very best.

 

On Ben More, April 2008

On Ben More, April 2008