Bla Bheinn - with its head perpetually in the clouds!
Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:19 pm
For those of you out and about anywhere in Scotland last week – 3 to 10 July – you’ll know the weather was extremely wet to say the least. Most especially in Skye where I spent the week on holiday. From the Saturday onwards I waited and waited hoping the weather would improve – or at least for the cloud base to lift a bit above 3 feet! By Thursday I could wait no longer so decided to climb Bla Bheinn by the “tourist route” I had hoped to go via Sgurr nan Each and the Clach Glas but the viz was appalling and the winds were gale force at times. As it was I was actually, no kidding, actually blown over twice!
Anyway – I climbed Bla Bheinn and despite the conditions I rather enjoyed it. The cloud base was about 500/ 600 metres so up to that point the views were pretty good back down to Loch Slappin. Indeed the first 300 meters or so by the Allt na Dunaiche was very picture-skew. Visibility in the top half was very poor – the going was steep on loose scree – and my legs hurt. On the plus side, because the ascent was over less than 4 kilometres, it was steep but quick. Bottom to top in 2 hours 40 minutes. (1 hour 25 mins for the descent)
The weather didn’t clear until Saturday when the best of these photos were taken. The cottage we had rented was really fab and I’m hoping I can rent it again at short notice for a long weekend – just to pounce upon a reliable and favourable weather forecast. Can’t wait for the chance to climb this mountain again.
Cheers!
A
Anyway – I climbed Bla Bheinn and despite the conditions I rather enjoyed it. The cloud base was about 500/ 600 metres so up to that point the views were pretty good back down to Loch Slappin. Indeed the first 300 meters or so by the Allt na Dunaiche was very picture-skew. Visibility in the top half was very poor – the going was steep on loose scree – and my legs hurt. On the plus side, because the ascent was over less than 4 kilometres, it was steep but quick. Bottom to top in 2 hours 40 minutes. (1 hour 25 mins for the descent)
The weather didn’t clear until Saturday when the best of these photos were taken. The cottage we had rented was really fab and I’m hoping I can rent it again at short notice for a long weekend – just to pounce upon a reliable and favourable weather forecast. Can’t wait for the chance to climb this mountain again.
Cheers!
A