Rime Routes Round Roy to Rinnes Rattling Rambler

[litljortindan]

My first walk of 2014 and my last for a while I think. My plan was take advantage of a forecast weather window and climb Ben Rinnes for the sunrise before the arrival of windy weather. At the back of mind though was a thought to turn back if the roads were too icy in the early morning and if there was too much ice low down. I didn't fancy anything too challenging with my back not being in the best of states. As it turned out, there were only a few patches of ice en route. In Dufftown a chest pain (innocuous, as it turned out) cause further pause for thought. I got out of the car and walked up and down the street for a bit and decided I would go as far as Round Hill and see how I felt and then on to Roy's Hill i.e. take it bit by bit.

I set off at 7.15am and found the underfoot conditions to be fine and largely ice free. I should say that I had walking crampons with me but was reluctant to use them because of the associated back bending involved in getting them on. Hence, an abundance of ice would probably have put me off. Freezing level was forecast as 600m though so I was fairly confident that I'd manage without for most, if not all, of the walk.

I got to Round Hill with no more chest pain and was easily able to pick out the odd ice hazard by torchlight. Onwards, then, to Roy's Hill. Round Hill has a relatively steep zig zaggy, stony approach but the continuation to Ron's Hill allows the legs to be stretched a bit. The kilometre beyond, before the final 300m steeper section up to the summit, really was relaxing with a wide and flat path illuminated by a dusting of frost or snow. On that flatter section I was feeling good and looking up to the summit with optimism that there would be little ice at the top.

The final 300m steeper part features lots of stone steps and zig zags to take the sting out of the climb. I'd say that for the first two hundred metres these were largely ice free and so the going was good with the brightening and reddening sky providing great incentive to keep going for the top. The last wee section though was very icy so I implemented plan A of slowing right down and relying on my ice axe to arrest any slip. Really, though , I progressed so slowly and picked my way with such care that I never felt too vulnerable. It never gets too steep. And so I managed to carefully edge my way up to the trig point. I can't say that I really enjoyed the last bit too much, certainly not as much as I enjoyed my last walk to Tap o' Noth. It was more an exercise in concentration and risk avoidance. I even greeted the sunrise with muted excitement and my videoing and photographing at the summit was more perfunctory than joyous.

Edging my way back down from the summit torr was immediately more problematic than the ascent had been as this necessitated bending my back in a way I wanted to avoid. Plan B came to mind and I contemplated donning crampons as I was finding it harder to shuffle downwards than I had found it to shuffle upwards. I sat (something I wanted to minimise) and tried in vane to untangle the knots in the straps that must've been there since last March. An easy oversight and one I could have done without. A few minutes later someone bounded past like a goat. We exchanged hellos and I enquired about their footwear which turned out to be what they described as training shoes but with lots of grip. I thought, well if they can manage in trainers then I can manage with my ice axe and so I continued my downwards shuffle. Then relative disaster struck as I slipped and planted my next step heavily with pain shooting through my back. In reality no worse than I've had with mistimed train alightment or, indeed, on a bus going over a pothole. In retrospect, a good reminder that I am not really fit enough to be out hillwalking or at least this wintry Ben Rinnes summit is at or beyond my current limit. Or maybe I just have to undo those knots in the crampon straps! No, I have to be sensible and either allow for more recovery or, what I want avoid, contemplate surgery if that's what my mooted MRI scan dictates.

Once off the tricky icy area I started enjoying the walk again and the pain in my back subsided. I got down to the car at 11am and set off for home. More mystery chest pain in the afternoon so I got it checked out and, happily, no serious problem. Prime candidate, lifting the dog at the vet's the previous day. Still had a bit of extra back ache and I was cursing myself a bit for not having stayed at home and not having anticipated difficulty unknotting my crampon straps.

1 The day before, on our daily festive season walk. We could see Ben Rinnes on the horizon and that got my cogs turning.

2 A blurry zoom of Ben Rinnes.

3 Dream turns to reality.

4 The last steep section up to the top.

5 Sunrise just below the summit. Tap o' Noth, Bennachie and The Buck can be made out on the horizon.

6 The Buck just left of the rising sun.

7 Looking north to the Moray and Sutherland coasts.

8 A hint of the shadow of Ben Rinnes.

9 Looking east over a crag near the summit.

10 Panorama including Tap o' Noth, Bennachie and The Buck.

11 First view from the summit.

12 Another looking east from the summit.

13 Looking south to cloudy Cairngorms.

14 Looking north west at the shadow of Rinnes.

15 Looking north east over Meikle Conval to Meikle Balloch (?) on the horizon.

16 Zoom east to Tap o' Noth and Bennaxchie.

17 Panorama to the east.

18 Looking east.

19 The Convals.

20 View to Glen Rinnes.

21 The Convals with, to the left, Ben Aigan (?).

22 Nearing the flat mid section.

23 View from Roy's Hill.

24 View from Round Hill.

[spiderwebb]

Love the shots with the shadows of Ben Rinnes. Tis a good hill

[litljortindan]

Love the shots with the shadows of Ben Rinnes. Tis a good hill

Yes, incredible to see a hill's shadow extend out over such a distance I think. Although I didn't enjoy this walk as much as I might have I am pleased with the video and the odd rainbow artefacts brought about by the lens misting. And the sparkling rime. Made me realise that I didn't get very much sunshine last winter. Yes, a very fine hill and viewpoint.

[Gordie12]

Sounds like you need to take it easy for a bit (or build yourself up on the flat)...............................

Did Ben Rinnes in the summer along with Little Conival and Meikle Conval on the opposite side of the road from the parking area - made for a good walk.

Like your idea of climbing this hill for the sunrise as the views are fantastic.

Take it easy!!!

[litljortindan]

Sounds like you need to take it easy for a bit (or build yourself up on the flat)...............................

Did Ben Rinnes in the summer along with Little Conival and Meikle Conval on the opposite side of the road from the parking area - made for a good walk.

Like your idea of climbing this hill for the sunrise as the views are fantastic.

Take it easy!!!

Thanks. Yes, will be hanging the boots up for a while.