‘New walkers’ on the hills.

[Aliboag]

Edit- double post

[WalkWithWallace]

A combination of:

- Looks good on social media.
- Lockdown cabin fever.
- Nothing else to do, with shops and pubs just opening up recently.

MRT could have their work cut out, but for me it's the dirty campers that are the main problem. Glen Etive was rammed at the weekend.

[al78]

Once other leisure facilities and pubs open I think numbers will drop back around the usual level. As mentioned above we've had exceptionally good weather this summer. The car park for the Ben Alder Road was rammed full. I genuinely didn't think it was possible to get that many cars in there

Really??? Scotland must have been blessed so far this summer.

In much of England and Wales summer (i.e. from 1st June onward) has been sub par so far, especially July. Cloudy, damp and below average daytime temperatures. A couple of days ago the overnight temperature dipped to almost freezing in one place in Wales, a bit of a shock for anyone camping there.

[jupe1407]

Once other leisure facilities and pubs open I think numbers will drop back around the usual level. As mentioned above we've had exceptionally good weather this summer. The car park for the Ben Alder Road was rammed full. I genuinely didn't think it was possible to get that many cars in there

Really??? Scotland must have been blessed so far this summer.

In much of England and Wales summer (i.e. from 1st June onward) has been sub par so far, especially July. Cloudy, damp and below average daytime temperatures. A couple of days ago the overnight temperature dipped to almost freezing in one place in Wales, a bit of a shock for anyone camping there.

Certainly in my area (Angus) it's been mostly excellent. We had a near-4 week spell with no rain at one point. Now that travel restrictions have been binned i fully expect it to be terrible

[Fife Flyer]

Kind of linked to the original thread.

We were in Glen Etive yesterday and the drive along the glen to the parking area for Starav was unbelievable.

We have never seen so many folk "wild camping", just about every passing place was full of parked cars.
Let's hope when they all leave they take everything home with them.

[Graeme D]

I was out for three days at the end of last week and on Thursday there were only 3 cars in the parking area near Corriechoile for the Grey Corries when I pulled in. I did Stob Ban and saw a couple on bikes coming back out the track a short distance past the minister and one bloke walking out just before the bothy. Other than that I saw nobody else all day. Friday I did a couple of the Mullardoch Munros from the dam and again, very quiet - a couple of cars there but I saw nobody on the hills. Saturday I did the Graham Beinn Suidhe near Bridge of Orchy and the car park near Forest Lodge was like a scene from the Apocalypse! It was absolutely rammed, mostly with camper vans. Vehicles were pretty much all the way down the access road in and along the verge on the tarmac back almost to the bridge before the Inveroran Hotel. There were also tents everywhere. In saying that, the track in towards Loch Dochard was pretty quiet and needless to say, I never saw a soul on Beinn Suidhe itself.

[Sgurr]

Did West Lomond via the Bunnetstane (probably the least popular ascent) and the car park was full when I arrived. Luckily one of the cars pulled out so that I could park, and ditto so friend could park. When we descended there were cars parked all along the verge near the "no parking on the verge" notices. Monday, with showers forecast, and it's hooching. Friend going back to work on Wednesday, so maybe a lot of folk were in a similar position and making the best of their last few week days off.

[rockhopper]

Saturday I did the Graham Beinn Suidhe near Bridge of Orchy and the car park near Forest Lodge was like a scene from the Apocalypse! It was absolutely rammed, mostly with camper vans. Vehicles were pretty much all the way down the access road in and along the verge on the tarmac back almost to the bridge before the Inveroran Hotel. There were also tents everywhere. In saying that, the track in towards Loch Dochard was pretty quiet and needless to say, I never saw a soul on Beinn Suidhe itself.

Missed you by a day Mr D. Was up there on Sunday and couldn't believe the number of camper vans and tents between Bridge of Orchy and Victoria Bridge. No-one else on Meall Tairbh but another three walkers arrived as I was having lunch on Beinn Suidhe. Quite a lot of MTBers and some walkers on the track back to Victoria Bridge as well.

[Spade]

Yes the "Jail breakout" is in full flow, soon be changed with pouring rain and swarms of midges chewing on them. Hope it gives some folk the the hill walking bug and gives them a good experience of how good the hills are. Don't blame folk for wanting out, after all wee Nicola has limited the usual holiday routes for folk.

[Glengavel]

Did West Lomond via the Bunnetstane (probably the least popular ascent) and the car park was full when I arrived. Luckily one of the cars pulled out so that I could park, and ditto so friend could park. When we descended there were cars parked all along the verge near the "no parking on the verge" notices. Monday, with showers forecast, and it's hooching. Friend going back to work on Wednesday, so maybe a lot of folk were in a similar position and making the best of their last few week days off.

The Bunnet Stane park is just a layby and the Glen Vale park only holds about half-a-dozen cars. Even on a quiet day they quickly fill up. My wife and her pal did Bishop Hill from Holl Reservoir last week, bit more capacity in the car park there.

[tweedledog]

Last Wednesday there were no less than 11 cars parked nose to tail along the narrow B8077 at the normal starting point for Beinn a'Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich. Several were poorly parked including one directly opposite the estate access gate making it all but impossible to get a large vehicle or a trailer in and out. I was on my way to Oban and reached this mess just as a big lorry arrived from the other direction inching its way past the cars with literally only inches to spare. It took me some fiddly reversing to clear a way for it. Maybe I should have just raked along that car opposite the entrance that I backed into. Parking all together like that wasn't even necessary. There are various points along the road where there's a little more room. My guess is that this was a walking group - they seem to often come on Wednesdays - who were unable to do their usual car sharing because of distancing precautions. On Saturday, however, things were largely back to normal when I went that way for a walk. A few cars, sensibly parked. Hopefully this normality will be restored next Wednesday.
I must admit that I drove to Oban in full Victor Meldrew mode over the poor parking. It only requires a little thought, especially opposite a gate....

[iain_atkinson_1986]

Last Wednesday there were no less than 11 cars parked nose to tail along the narrow B8077 at the normal starting point for Beinn a'Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich. Several were poorly parked including one directly opposite the estate access gate making it all but impossible to get a large vehicle or a trailer in and out. I was on my way to Oban and reached this mess just as a big lorry arrived from the other direction inching its way past the cars with literally only inches to spare. It took me some fiddly reversing to clear a way for it. Maybe I should have just raked along that car opposite the entrance that I backed into. Parking all together like that wasn't even necessary. There are various points along the road where there's a little more room. My guess is that this was a walking group - they seem to often come on Wednesdays - who were unable to do their usual car sharing because of distancing precautions. On Saturday, however, things were largely back to normal when I went that way for a walk. A few cars, sensibly parked. Hopefully this normality will be restored next Wednesday.
I must admit that I drove to Oban in full Victor Meldrew mode over the poor parking. It only requires a little thought, especially opposite a gate....

You'd hope walking groups would have the sense to not arrange anything for the time being given that car sharing will be a no-go. Maybe I'm naive..

[Graeme D]

Last Wednesday there were no less than 11 cars parked nose to tail along the narrow B8077 at the normal starting point for Beinn a'Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich. Several were poorly parked including one directly opposite the estate access gate making it all but impossible to get a large vehicle or a trailer in and out. I was on my way to Oban and reached this mess just as a big lorry arrived from the other direction inching its way past the cars with literally only inches to spare. It took me some fiddly reversing to clear a way for it. Maybe I should have just raked along that car opposite the entrance that I backed into. Parking all together like that wasn't even necessary. There are various points along the road where there's a little more room. My guess is that this was a walking group - they seem to often come on Wednesdays - who were unable to do their usual car sharing because of distancing precautions. On Saturday, however, things were largely back to normal when I went that way for a walk. A few cars, sensibly parked. Hopefully this normality will be restored next Wednesday.
I must admit that I drove to Oban in full Victor Meldrew mode over the poor parking. It only requires a little thought, especially opposite a gate....

On my way back home from Beinn Suidhe on Saturday I slowed down leaving Crianlarich to count the cars parked along the verge at the foot of Ben More - there were 31 plus a good half a dozen others in the lay by opposite.

[Graeme D]

Saturday I did the Graham Beinn Suidhe near Bridge of Orchy and the car park near Forest Lodge was like a scene from the Apocalypse! It was absolutely rammed, mostly with camper vans. Vehicles were pretty much all the way down the access road in and along the verge on the tarmac back almost to the bridge before the Inveroran Hotel. There were also tents everywhere. In saying that, the track in towards Loch Dochard was pretty quiet and needless to say, I never saw a soul on Beinn Suidhe itself.

Missed you by a day Mr D. Was up there on Sunday and couldn't believe the number of camper vans and tents between Bridge of Orchy and Victoria Bridge. No-one else on Meall Tairbh but another three walkers arrived as I was having lunch on Beinn Suidhe. Quite a lot of MTBers and some walkers on the track back to Victoria Bridge as well.

Shame our timing was slightly out - we're overdue another random summit meeting!

[BlackPanther]

I think our neck of the woods is not as bad as the southern half of the Highlands. Kevin had a week off last week (well timed by pure coincidence) so we visited a few hills. My thoughts on how busy it was:

Inchnadamph car park - several cars parked there in the morning but it was quiet on the hills. We were doing an obscure route on Glass Bheinn so didn't meet a single soul.

Mullardoch Dam car park - quite busy considering it was mid-week. I counted 9 other cars when we arrived and we took the last parking spot Again, we were climbing a less frequented ridge, so the only people we saw were on the summit of Sgurr na Lapaich.

Morvich NTS car park - a few cars but there was still room for us when we arrived. I counted four other walkers and two cyclists on the paths below Beinn Fhada/A'Ghlass Bheinn. So it was very quiet for a summer Sunday.

Glenmore Lodge car park - still plenty of space to park at 8:30 in the morning and a quiet walk-in to Bynack More, but on the way back it was really busy, lots of people near the Green Loch.

The rest of our routes were too obscure to be busy... So I think these days, if you want silence and solitude, pick an unusual approach to an unpopular hill