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SMC's Highland Scrambles books

SMC's Highland Scrambles books


Postby TheRealLurlock » Sun May 15, 2022 9:29 am

My wife and I enjoy scrambling but we're probably not yet experienced enough to attempt grades 2 and 3 routes. Could anyone who owns the SMC Highland Scrambles books (particularly Highland Scrambles South) tell me if it describes a decent number of grade 1 scrambles, particularly around Glen Nevis, the Mamores, Glencoe and Glen Etive?

And if anyone can recommend any grade 1 scrambles in these areas, whether in the book or not, I'd be very grateful.

Many thanks.
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Sun May 15, 2022 10:12 am

I don't have the book, but here are some easy scrambles I've done in the area. There are several descriptions on most of these on here.

CMD Arete, Ben Nevis
Ledge Route, Ben Nevis. This feels a lot more serious than it actually is, it has an air of real mountaineering
East Ridge of Ben Starav - extremely easy scramble, but magnificent scenery - reminiscent of Striding Edge but in a much wilder setting - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=88681.
Grey Corries - short sections of very easy scrambling if you stick to the crest - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=81127.
Schoolhouse Ridge on Beinn a'Bheithir - an excellent easy scramble with great views of Glencoe and Loch Leven. Several descriptions on WH I think.
Devil's Ridge, part of the Ring of Steall. I've not done the rest of the Ring but I'm aware there are other scrambly sections if you do the full route.

I have not done Pink Rib on Beinn a'Chrulaiste but it looks good https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=46538

Tim
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby jmarkb » Sun May 15, 2022 11:27 am

I have the book - there aren't too many other Grade 1 scrambles in the area beyond what Tim has listed above.

There is also:
Carn Dearg Mheadhonach E ridge (not done this - quite a long approach to a short scramble!)
NE Buttress of Binnein Mor (fairly short, but worth doing, especially if you are doing Binnein Beag as well).
Zigags on Gearr Aonach (a good way up onto Bidean, not much scrambling, but the crux corner feels quite hard for Grade 1).
Dinnertime Buttress on Aonach Dubh (again an interesting way up onto Bidean, but there isn't very much actual scrambling).
Rhyolite Romp (not done this - a strange sideways excursion across ramps and ledges on Aonach Dubh)
Stob a' Ghlas Coire NE Spur (nothing special, but a good way of making a circuit of Creise and Meall a' Bhuiridh).
plus a few odds and ends.

Ledge Route (note the Grade 1 version avoids the lower section out of No. 5 Gully) + CMD arete is a tremendous day out.
Ring of Steall is also a superb day, though the scrambling sections are fairly short-lived.

There are more good options at Grade 2 as and when you feel ready - including Aonach Eagach, Sron na Lairig, Golden Oldy on Aonach Mor and Broad Buttress on the Buachaille.
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby TheRealLurlock » Sun May 15, 2022 6:42 pm

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Part of the reason we're sticking with grade 1 at the moment is that we want to do multi-day walks with heavy packs, and I'm not sure how advisable it is to attempt a higher grade or a particularly exposed route with more than a few lbs on your back. Any thoughts on this? Or are the more difficult scrambles always best reserved for day trips based from a car?
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon May 16, 2022 10:19 am

TheRealLurlock wrote:Thanks so much for the suggestions. Part of the reason we're sticking with grade 1 at the moment is that we want to do multi-day walks with heavy packs, and I'm not sure how advisable it is to attempt a higher grade or a particularly exposed route with more than a few lbs on your back. Any thoughts on this? Or are the more difficult scrambles always best reserved for day trips based from a car?


A purely personal view, but if you have a big pack, I would start with very easy, escapable scrambles. Back when I was doing more scrambling, I did the Black Carls on Beinn Eighe as part of a multi-day route with big pack, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have done without the pack.

Maybe test it out by trying an easy scramble with a big pack, to see how it feels. If you are in Scotland then I think Stuc a'Chroin from the Loch Earn side might be good for this - not done that route but it does have a non-scramble alternative further west, if it starts feeling hairy. If in England or Wales then Daear Ddu on Moel Siabod or Striding Edge would be good. Both can be scrambled along the crest or (mostly) walked below it. Moel Siabod NE ridge, or Swirral Edge, then gives a taste of a rocky descent with a couple of scrambly moves.

I've not done a multi-day route in the area you're going to, but I think the Black Mount / Ben Starav area would be ideal for it, if you had a spell of good weather. You could start near the Glen Etive road turn off, climb Creise by the Stob a' Ghlas Coire ridge (mentioned by jmarkb), then it's hillwalking all the way over the Black Mount hills to Ben Starav, climbed via the east ridge that I mentioned.

The last day you could "walk out" via Glen Etive, or do the whole Buachaille Etive Mor ridge, as a fitting climax to the circuit. In fact I'm getting quite jealous just thinking about it. The sort of thing I should have done more when I was younger!

Tim
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby jmarkb » Mon May 16, 2022 10:46 am

I'm with Tim on this - scrambling with a heavy pack is definitely less fun and more risky. If you are planning multi-day trips, you could look for opportunities where you can dump the heavy pack and do some scrambling without it. For example, if you did the Mamores traverse, both the scrambling sections on the Ring of Steall are out-and-back diversions.
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby TheRealLurlock » Mon May 16, 2022 12:36 pm

Thank you both for the helpful input. To be clear, we have done quite a bit of scrambling (including Striding Edge and various routes up mountains in Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia), but not with more than a day pack. We've done a little scrambling with a heavy pack during the Northern ridge approach to Ben Alder. The experience on Ben Alder made me realise how much a big pack limits you on scrambles - not because you struggle with the actual weight itself (which I don't) but because its size constantly threatens to destabilise you, pull you off balance, or to get caught on a rock behind or to the side of you. It also means you can't manage with weather as poor as you could without a pack.

Looking at images and videos of Aonach Eagach for example, my wife and I think we would be perfectly happy to do it unloaded and would enjoy it a great deal, but we would probably want to do it as part of a multi-day walk with ~40lbs+ on my back, which makes it a different challenge.
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Re: SMC's Highland Scrambles books

Postby jamie_bran » Wed May 18, 2022 6:01 pm

HalfManHalfTitanium wrote:I don't have the book, but here are some easy scrambles I've done in the area. There are several descriptions on most of these on here.

CMD Arete, Ben Nevis
Ledge Route, Ben Nevis. This feels a lot more serious than it actually is, it has an air of real mountaineering
East Ridge of Ben Starav - extremely easy scramble, but magnificent scenery - reminiscent of Striding Edge but in a much wilder setting - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=88681.
Grey Corries - short sections of very easy scrambling if you stick to the crest - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=81127.
Schoolhouse Ridge on Beinn a'Bheithir - an excellent easy scramble with great views of Glencoe and Loch Leven. Several descriptions on WH I think.
Devil's Ridge, part of the Ring of Steall. I've not done the rest of the Ring but I'm aware there are other scrambly sections if you do the full route.

I have not done Pink Rib on Beinn a'Chrulaiste but it looks good https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=46538

Tim



I've been thinking about doing Pink Rib for a while now. Does anyone have a route plan? Just so to make sure I get the correct starting point!
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