An Caisteal: twistin' on the hill

[BlackPanther]

We have run out of new Munros for "winter quickies" in the northern half of Scotland. So now, if we want to do some crampons & axe fun, we either have to repeat a mountain or drive 2.5 hours down south to the likes of Bridge of Orchy or Aberfeldy. As long as we can afford our fuel bill, it's fine by us. Cinnarizine pills for travel sickness don't cost that much, though the lady in our local pharmacy is beginning to look at me suspiciously Maybe she thinks I'm poisoning my husband or collecting pills for future suicide

Easter Sunday was a superb day weather-wise so we packed up and drove south to Crianlarich. I spied with my adventure-sensitive nose an interesting name on the map. Twistin' Hill.

Yes, the twisting ridge. It's a part of An Caisteal, a Munro usually climbed with it's companion Beinn a'Chroin. Our plan minimum was to explore Twistin' Hill and reach the summit of The Castle. if possible, we would continue to the second Munro. Sadly, during the traverse to Beinn a'Chroin, we assessed the conditions and decided that even with winter gear, the scrambling section leading to the second Munro was a bit too risky, but we had no regrets, dropping down the glen from the connecting ridge. We still have so many mountains to climb in this area (virtually everything south of Bridge of Orchy) that we can easily add Beinn a'Chroin to another day or repeat both hills in summer conditions. I liked the twistin' part of it so much that I'd be happy to return to An Caisteal for more explorations.

Track_AN CAISTEAL 01-04-18.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

There's a proper off-road layby at the start of the walk. We geared up and headed for the passage under railway. Two other lads started around the same time, but they were a bit faster than us and soon they were marching up the lower slopes of An Caisteal, while we still fiddled with cameras down in the glen
The underpassage:

The slopes leading to Sron Garbh (the "gate" to Twistin' Hill) right in front of me:

We left the track as soon as we spotted a good line of "attack". The day was glorious, beautiful blue sky above. No wonder Kevin stopped every five minutes to take photos and we walked at a speed of a pair of lazy tortoises 100m above the track, we came across a barb wired fence and spent some time performing gymnastic figures to cross it without tearing our trousers... only to discover later, that there was a gate about 100m to the right
The initial climb is a bit of a slog:

...but our efforts were rewarded even on early stages, by fantastic views:

Cruach Ardrain & friends:

Brother Lui:

Meall a'Bhuiridh and Creise:

From 500m up the ground was frozen solid despite the warming sun above us. We encountered first patches of snow, we managed without spikes at the moment but we knew higher up it would be crampon country!

The northern panorama from just below the top of Sron Gharbh:

We located the path leading up Sron Gharbh, this is the start of fun on the ridge and as the picture below shows, I was already in fun-and-games mood!

The other pair were just above us, on the path to the first top, so we followed:

Too many hills down here I don't recognize, but they all look fantastic!

From the top of Sron Gharbh, we eyed the Twistin' Hill ridge and WOW! it looked absolutely amazing! reminded me of Tarmachan Ridge which we climbed in similar conditions:

We took far too many pictures from different spots along the ridge as we walked it, so apologies for so many in this TR, just found it impossible to pick the best ones
Cruach Ardain:

Glen Orchy mountains with Beinn Dorain to the left:

South-west to the mountains surrounding Loch Lomond:

For the first 500m the ridge is almost flat but closer to the summit of An Caisteal the angle steepens. We followed the path as long as we could locate it, but at some point it simply vanished under another snow patch and we gave up. It was a superb day anyway, great visibility and we simply followed the ridge for the rest of the ascent.

We reached the height of 850m and here we decided it was crampon time. Snow patches were hard, with maybe 1cm of soft snow on the surface which was a deadly mix to walk on without spikes, especially on steeper sections.
It's spikey time!
2018-04-01 an caisteal 087 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
We found some rocks to sit on and took a 10 min break, drank some tea and had a snack before fitting crampons on. Behind us, a magnificent panorama of northern Scotland...and the twistin' ridge:

I was glad we didn't pick Ben More duo for today as they look very steep!

As soon as spikes went on, it was so much easier to keep balance on the snow and I was enjoying the final 150m of ascent, suddenly a song by Dire Straits was playing in my head:
"Yeah, we're gonna be so cool
Twisting by the pool!"
There were no pools in sight and even if there were some, they'd be frozen solid, but the annoying tune stayed with me for the rest of the day!!!

An Caisteal is probably named after this castle-like rock near the summit:

View north - again:

Approaching the castle:

I was a bit concerned that we might have to scramble over the rocky section, but there was no such need and we simply traversed up to the top of the castle-rock, kicking our crampons into hard snow. Kevin stopped again and again to snap photos of every nook and cranny
Ridgy-ridgy ridge, oh how much I enjoyed twisting along your narrow edge!
2018-04-01 an caisteal 118 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
NOT a photo to send to my dad (he's oversensitive to me standing close to any drops higher than 1m ):
2018-04-01 an caisteal 121 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
The cairn at the top of the castle-rock is NOT the true summit. It lies a short distance further on, and the approach is easy-angled:

Not sure which hills are these but they must be Munros as the look very high:

Back to the castle:

Loch Lomond:

On the summit. Our first new Munro in 2018 and hopefully not the last! No. 218 for me, 61 for Wee Lucy:

She's into Munro bagging now for sure!

Kevin's no. 222:

We decided to stay here for a few minutes, if only to have some more fluids and sugars, and to record the views which were second to none. The Twistin' Ridge was fun by itself but the summit panos simply took our breaths away and for a short time we forgot about all troubles... How beautiful Scotland can be when covered in white!

The castle-rock and Glen Orchy hills:

Glen Etive and Glencoe mountains:

Some really big "munsters" waiting for us:

Eventually it was time to descend towards Beinn a'Chroin. But even as we started making our way down, we realized this would be a risky procedure. The re-ascent looked at least daunting:

The initial descent is very steep but we managed OK with spikes on the frozen path:

Lower down we carefully clambered down a couple of scramble-ish sections, it took time with spikes on and we didn't want to take them off just yet. The sun was blazing now and I was cooking in my black top

Some very intriguing shapes en route:

One more panorama from Kevin's camera:
2018-04-01 an caisteal 186 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
From the top of the last bump of Bealach Buidhe, before the final ascent to the second Munro, we watched the other two lads trying to make their way up. They managed to climb half way up to just below the line of boulders then tried to traverse below to the left-hand side, but after a few awkward moves, they gave up and started to descend. Then they attempted again a but further to the right but with no success, either. As we watched their efforts, we looked at each other and agreed, that we didn't like it at all. It was asking for troubles. We had hopes to climb both Munros, of course, but we didn't mind skipping Beinn a'Chroin. The main problem was the amount of fresh snow up on higher ground (on top of sheer ice below) and the acute angle of this slope. Plus the overhangs and a layer of ice covering the rock. Just wasn't worth the risk.
2018-04-01 an caisteal 195 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
We took the decision to descend to Coire Earb. The first section from the Bealach is very steep but we spotted somebody's footprints (probably from the day before) zig-zagging down a large parch of snow. With spikes on, we could carefully follow this line:
2018-04-01 an caisteal 202 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
Despite only climbing one Munro, I was more than happy with today's adventure. Twistin' Hill and An Caisteal gave us more fun than we needed and I liked them so much that I will definitely return here for more explorations!
2018-04-01 an caisteal 199 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
The cliffs of Beinn a'Chroin from below:
2018-04-01 an caisteal 212 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
After 200m of descent, we left the snow behind, took off crampons and continued down the grassy slopes. Later, we found a large flat boulder and sat there to stretch our legs and have some more tea. Because we only did half of the walk, we finished earlier and could relax in the sun without worrying about a punishing schedule
Back in the glen:
2018-04-01 an caisteal 217 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
Soon the other two lads descended the same way we had earlier. They stopped for a few minutes to chat to us and spoke about how steep and scary the difficult section was and how they decided "better not to spoil the day with a broken leg". A wise decision, in my humble opinion, better make it down safely than "do a Mallory" as we call it.
I don't know, maybe it was doable, maybe we just chickened out but the thought that we were not the only ones made us feel better about our decision. It was still a fantastic day and for a few minutes I was a queen in my castle
The return to the car was a pleasant stroll along River Falloch:
2018-04-01 an caisteal 219 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
Beware, hills of Crianlarich, the meowing one WILL BE BACK!!!
2018-04-01 an caisteal 232 by Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
I must admit, that in the past I looked at the Southern Uplands as "mountains to tick off and forget" but the Twistin' Hill made me change my mind. There is potential for many fantastic climbing days here and I can't wait to return and explore the area a bit more!
We didn't wait long indeed to come back: the following weekend we climbed two neighbouring Corbetts, but before I describe that trip, there is one more to come: our adventure from Easter Monday. There will be ancient forts, empty landscape, steep slopes and complete silence... Welcome to the world of Caithness! TR pending

[malky_c]

Most people think a 2.5 hour drive to the hills is quite short...but I agree with you, which is why I'm not often down this way.

Pick some of these hills in the wrong weather and it's easy to write them off, but there's lots of good stuff down there as your photos show. Looks like a good day out

[Mal Grey]

That Dire Straits track is the only one they ever did which I find truly annoying. And now you've got it stuck in my head! Desperately trying to replace it with Let's Twist Again, which is marginally better!

Looks like a fabulous hill to climb in winter

Most people think a 2.5 hour drive to the hills is quite short...

Quite. Took me 14.5 hours of driving to get back from my last Highland Foray!

[katyhills]

Glad you enjoyed your trip Panther - even if you didn't get the second hill. The surrounding hills in Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Arrochar all look splendid in the snowy conditions - although they look pretty good at any time really! Lovely set of photos.
The scramble up to B a Chroin is pretty tricky in those conditions so it was a wise choice to leave it for another time. Hope you can come back soon for another go at them both. It's a fine walk

I regularly drive two hours or more for hills - Glencoe/Kinlochleven is about two hours for me.The Easains were about three, and that's far enough for a day trip with a long walk. Caisteal is one of my favourites - about an hour and a quarter away. I enjoy the drives too, and if it's been a good day out, the feelings of achievement outweigh any weariness on the long road home

You could always have tried Tanika Tikaram's # Twist in my Sobriety for your song, but not very cheery if you're having a good day!

[BlackPanther]

Thanks everyone I was so eager to share my experience in twisting... I mean: climbing this ridge Can't wait to return to the area for more M's!

Re: long journeys. I suffer from a bad case of travel sickness so long drives (especially along twisty roads) make me feel sick. Medications for travel sickness have bad side effects so I try not to overdose them but sometimes it's a simple choice between, lets say it frankly, puking and passing out. I wish I could teleport myself

[dogplodder]

Loved this hill when we did it a few years back in autumn and just stunning to see it in snow!

[katyhills]

Re: long journeys. I suffer from a bad case of travel sickness so long drives (especially along twisty roads) make me feel sick. Medications for travel sickness have bad side effects so I try not to overdose them but sometimes it's a simple choice between, lets say it frankly, puking and passing out. I wish I could teleport myself [/quote]

That's a real pity Panther. It does make it hard for you then. You'll have to come and spend a week or two at a time 'down south' to do all the Munros here instead!

I know many people also say they don't suffer from it if they're driving, only when they're passengers. Have you thought of hypnosis or acupuncture or anything like that to help?

[jmarkb]

Great report and photos as usual!

Beinn a' Chroin can be a tricky customer in winter: I've have had to take the same exit strategy in the past! The easiest line goes away round to the right but it's not obvious when buried under snow and still has a couple of tricky steps.

For a summer visit you can combine these two with Beinn Chabhair. You can start from Derrydarroch and climb the other (Stob Ghlas) ridge onto Caisteal. This also avoid the horrid bogs on the normal route to Chabhair.

[Alteknacker]

WHAT a day, and what a set of pics. So many superb images, I just can't pick out any particular one. Brilliant stuff (apart from the red gaiters ).

I walked these hills in August, and at that time hadn't really done any winter routes, so I didn't really clock how great ridges like this can be in white.

"Doing a Mallory..." - indeed! Now, for me, it's become "...doing a Steck..". The stuff Ueli did made him seem superhuman; yet even the most phenomenally talented mountaineers are fallible - or, perhaps more fairly, cannot correct assess every situation. I was reminded of this first hand this last weekend when Jaxter told me of an encounter with a very large unstable boulder on the way up Cruachan. However seriously and systematically we try, we can't control every aspect of the hill environment.

But better to be up there than in the smoke, right...???

Great report

[BlackPanther]

Many thanks once again and apologies for late answering. We took advantage of a few extra days off an took to the hills! We got soaked one day, baked alive on the next... 10 new summits in a week 9 reports to write!! I'll be busy for the next three weeks

I know many people also say they don't suffer from it if they're driving, only when they're passengers. Have you thought of hypnosis or acupuncture or anything like that to help?

Acupuncture?... I'm not too keen on needles TBH During last week we traveled a lot and somehow I managed to keep my stomach issue under control. It seems half the cinnarizine pill and warm tea does the job. Also not eating anything for an hour before the journey. It's strange that I didn't used to suffer from any travel sickness when I was younger, it only became an issue when I overcame my vertigo. It just moved from mountains to cars

"Doing a Mallory..." - indeed! Now, for me, it's become "...doing a Steck..". The stuff Ueli did made him seem superhuman; yet even the most phenomenally talented mountaineers are fallible - or, perhaps more fairly, cannot correct assess every situation. I was reminded of this first hand this last weekend when Jaxter told me of an encounter with a very large unstable boulder on the way up Cruachan. However seriously and systematically we try, we can't control every aspect of the hill environment.

I was shocked when heard about Ueli's death. It was hard to believe, after all the superfast stuff he had done on extreme slopes, what was his record on the North Face of Eiger, 2 hours 30 min, something like that? It just shows that no one is safe on the hills, especially in winter. I have recently read Messner's autobiography ("All 14 8-thousenders") and I must say, Messner is totally bonkers. No ordinary human being would be able to do what he did. I guess you have to be brave beyond logic and sanity to even contemplate certain routes, let alone attempt them. We decided we were too scared and not bonkers enough to try the traverse to Beinn a' Chroin. As Mallory said, the mountain IS THERE and will be there another day.

As for the red gaiters, they were not my idea!

For a summer visit you can combine these two with Beinn Chabhair. You can start from Derrydarroch and climb the other (Stob Ghlas) ridge onto Caisteal. This also avoid the horrid bogs on the normal route to Chabhair.

I was considering that route for a long summer day, when weather is nice and the sun is shining See what my husband comes up with, he likes making last-minute changes to routes I hope he does not add Cruach Ardain to the traverse

[The English Alpinist]

You got a specraculr set of photos there, and yes it's impossible to whittle those down. Photo 121 An Caisteal - wow!! I was not even aware of the drop when I was there, that's the type of photo I might keep from relatives of a sensitive disposition..I'm extremely pleased to hear you say 'the cairn at the top of the castle is NOT the true summit!! I don't even have any memory of passing that rocky tower, which I guess came after the summit cairn for me, on my way down. I might have noted it as just another awkward looking snowy rocky 'lump' which I was glad to be able to skirt. This is very interesting too..
'tried to traverse below to the left-hand side, but after a few awkward moves, they gave up and started to descend. Then they attempted again a but further to the right' - I think I did the exact opposite, eventually finding my way up towards the left, by as much luck as design. I definitely had a bit of a 'Mallory' mentality having made it that far; he's an idol of mine but maybe not the best one to have!
I can't tell you hard I thought about descending the way you went, especially after my hairy experience coming back down those crags. Now I'm glad I did not miss Twistin Hill, it is indeed a superb route.

[BlackPanther]

You got a specraculr set of photos there, and yes it's impossible to whittle those down. Photo 121 An Caisteal - wow!! I was not even aware of the drop when I was there, that's the type of photo I might keep from relatives of a sensitive disposition..I'm extremely pleased to hear you say 'the cairn at the top of the castle is NOT the true summit!! I don't even have any memory of passing that rocky tower, which I guess came after the summit cairn for me, on my way down. I might have noted it as just another awkward looking snowy rocky 'lump' which I was glad to be able to skirt. This is very interesting too..
'tried to traverse below to the left-hand side, but after a few awkward moves, they gave up and started to descend. Then they attempted again a but further to the right' - I think I did the exact opposite, eventually finding my way up towards the left, by as much luck as design. I definitely had a bit of a 'Mallory' mentality having made it that far; he's an idol of mine but maybe not the best one to have!
I can't tell you hard I thought about descending the way you went, especially after my hairy experience coming back down those crags. Now I'm glad I did not miss Twistin Hill, it is indeed a superb route.

Apologies for late answer, my life is just as twisted as Twistin' Hill

Always interesting to hear how people experience the same route in different conditions. We had superb weather and maybe someone might laugh at us that we gave up too easily, but in retrospect I don't regret it. We will definitely return to this walk in the future, maybe in winter conditions again.

I'm a big fan of Mr George Mallory as well and I use the famous phrase quite often to justify stupid routes up hills At the time we went for An Caisteal, I was still very cautious after having suffered a painful knee injury, which was entirely my own fault. It was on the Isle of Skye. I slipped and fell on an icy path and a sharp rock cut my leg like a knife (the picture shows it a few days after stitching). Thankfully for me, the bone wasn't damaged, but the long term effect was more psychological then physical. Before the accident I was a confident scrambler but after the fall I couldn't shake off the subconscious fear of another accident. Maybe that's why I voted for taking the easy way out.

Warning: remember to use your crampons on icy slopes!

Today I still have the scar, maybe not as prominent as in the photo attached, but it is a constant reminder that just one mistake can be very costly. I admit it doesn't stop me from doing stupid things on occasion, but I could always blame it on my Mallory attitude
Cheers
BP