Bodmin Moor and the Himalaya

Since the summer, the only high point has been Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor, while on holiday down in Cornwall.  Not particularly high, and only 40 minutes walk from the car park, up an easy grassy slope.   What a playground, though - massive granite boulders perched on top of each other scattered all over the top and surrounding high ground.  Well worth a visit!

Anne on Showery Tor,  Bodmin Moor

The summit of Rough Tor

atop the "logan stone" on Louden Hill, which rocks a few inches up and down like a see-saw!

Back home in dreich November, I had a great night out at "First on Everest" in Edinburgh.  Arranged by Doug Scott to raise funds to support the Sherpas and porters on Nepal, this was a series of illustrated talks.


First up was Hamish McInnes, talking about an early trip to the Himalaya way back in 1953. Next was Tom Hornbein, a sprightly 80 year old, who was first to traverse Everest - up the east ridge, over the summit, and down by the South Col route.   Some hair-raising moments - like doing an ice-axe arrest as the tent headed downhill at 26000 feet!

Doug Scott, 1975

Doug Scott, 2010

The main course was Doug Scott and Tut Braithwaite describing the 1975 first ascent by the NW face.  The scary part (for me, that is!) was realising that it was 34 years ago that I saw the same photos in the Usher Hall, with the same story being told by Dougal Haston.  Doug Scott, who had looked like John Lennon in his hippy years back in 1976, was now a tall silver-haired gentleman!   Time changes us all.

During the interval, Doug auctioned some framed prints, signed by himself, and other famous mountaineers.  These sold for anything from £150 to £500.  I contented myself by buying a (signed) poster of Doug Scott's famous picture of Dougal Haston climbing the Hillary Step on the 1975 expedition (right) - cost me £10!  Now with a £25 frame, it has replaced a 3000-piece jigsaw of Mont Blanc on the living room wall!

Finally, Peter Habeler (perhaps most famous for climbing Eiger's north face with Reinhold Messner) recounted the first climb of Everest without oxygen - including a 9 hour bivouac at the South Summit on the descent.  In delightfully heavily accented (Austrian) English , he described the intense emotions experienced by any Everest mountaineer.


Superb evening - and all in a good cause: Community Action Nepal.   


For more details of Doug's lectures, see http://www.dougscottmountaineering.co.uk


For more details of Community Action Nepal, see http://www.canepal.org.uk/

12: An Socach

An Socach  (Glen Affric)    15th August 2010


Next morning, and once again the car park at the top of Glen Affric was alive with midges!  Cloud low, but forecast to "burn off" by mid-morning,


Today's target was my sole remaining unclimbed Glen Affric hill - An Socach ("the snout").  A small hill, but a long way in ...


I set off on the bike at 8.50am, following the forest track on the south side of Loch Affric.

Affric Lodge, across the loch

I made steady progress (despite tired legs from yesterday) along the ups and downs of the track, and, sure enough, the mist started to break up, and blue sky appeared above, with splendid views of the surrounding hills.

An Tudair, Mam Sodhail (just visible) and Carn Eighe, across Loch Affric

An Tudair across Loch Affric - blue sky!

Beyond the loch, the track dropped down to the river crossing at Athnamulloch, with great views up the glen ahead.

looking up the glen to Beinn Fhada

Mullach Fraoch Choire above Athnamulloch

 Beyond the bridge, the track deteriorated and the going was reduced to near walking speed, but I managed to continue for 2.5 km to the foot of the Allt Coire Ghaidheil, which was where I intended to finish my walk.  The 11 km had taken an hour and a half, but I reckoned it would be well worth it, especially on the way back.


Perversely, the track improved again beyond this point, and another 40 minutes on foot brought me to Alltbeithe (Glen Affric Youth Hostel).  As I walked, I met a few youth hostellers heading out of the glen.

Alltbeithe - Glen Affric Youth Hostel

At 11.10am, I was glad to sit down outside the Youth Hostel for some food and coffee.  I was joined by another lone walker who had come across from Glen Shiel over the top of Ciste Dubh already that morning!   We set off walking together up behind the Youth Hostel, but I think his morning exertions had taken their toll, and soon he dropped behind me.

I followed the excellent path steeply up alongside the Allt na Faing (another one - see yesterday's blog), and was soon up into Coire na Cloiche ("the coire of the stone").  Not sure if it was named after a specific stone, as there were plenty lying around, or perhaps the crags of the hill behind the coire, Stob Coire na Cloiche.  


By now the midday sun was beating down fairly mercilessly, so I was glad to be able to replenish my water supplies so high up.  At 600m, I reached the bealach, and looked over to Mullach na Dheireagain.  


Decision time:  to the right, the direct route up An Socach;  to the left, Stob Coire na Cloiche, an outlying top of Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan.   My legs said "right", but my head said "left"!   


Left it was - and so my protesting legs carried me up the short ridge, with a wee scramble through a rock band, to reach the top at 13.15.  Apart from the satisfaction of gaining another "top", this wee peak proved to be a fine viewpoint, and an ideal place for lunch!

Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan from Stob Coire na Cloiche

looking east form Stob Coire na Cloiche towards An Socach, with Carn Eighe and Mam Sodhail in the distance

Rested, fed and coffeed, I headed back down to the bealach, then up the winding path to An Socach.  A lonely tent was pitched beside the path on the first bump.

looking back to Stob Coire na Cloiche, with Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan behind

One final pull up on tired legs, and I was on my 272nd Munro, An Socach, at 2.20pm.  Two other walkers were there, too, so a chat and a photo opportunity.

weary Munroist on An Socach

The broad south ridge provided a pleasant highway back towards lower ground, with fine views back up to the mountain from An Sornach, the curving ridge below.  A "sornach" is something like an open fireplace made of stones, so not sure why the ridge is so named, unless it refers to the way this ridge curls round the open end of Coire Gaidheal.

south ridge of An Socach, with Sgurr nan Conbhairean across Glen Affric

looking back to An Socach from An Sornach

Finally, a steep grassy descent back to the bike.  Stopped for a long chat with a local man and two German friends, before pedalling off back down the glen to the car park.


Summary:
1 Munro + 1 Top
11km walk + 22km cycle
800m climb
11 hours

Log:

left car	08:50
left bike	10:20 - 10:30
Alltbeithe Youth Hostel	11:10 - 11:25
Stob Coire na Cloiche (T)	12:55 - 13:10
An Socach (M)	14:20 - 14:40
back to bike	15:50 - 16:15
back to car park	17:35