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A black eye from a map is not chuil

A black eye from a map is not chuil


Postby erin_niamh » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:18 am

Munros included on this walk: Sgiath Chùil

Date walked: 06/01/2012

Time taken: 6 hours

Distance: 16 km

Ascent: 920m

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I had originally planned to walk with a friend and put a post on WH to see if anybody wanted to come along, since I had such a good time at Ben Lomond on the Monday! 8)

Lots of interest but in the end it was confirmed that myself (erin&niamh), Wullie (quoman), Gary (?), Stevie (StevieM) and his good lady(Sharon) and Troy the dog of course, would meet at the car park at the end of the Glen Lochay road and climb Sgiath Chuil and Meal Glas from Glen Lochay.

Lots of things were learned on this walk:

I learned to read meeting arrangements more closely as I was sure Wullie had said meet at 8.30am :?

The rest of the guys learned what is widely known amongst all my friends and family, that I am always late!!! :lol:

I arrived at the car park at 8.40am (10 mins late or so I thought) to see 2 empty cars :shock: I was really looking forward to this walk and would not attempt it on my own, so i sped along the private road a little further and was lucky enough to catch up with the rest of the gang. I made my apologies and begged them to wait on me which they very kindly did.

10 mins later and I was with them ready to start the walk.

We had only just started to walk along the private road towards the bridge and we saw 2 large red deer just in front, excellent because i've not saw any wildlife since my first munro :( Wullie promised I would see lots of deer today!

So a short walk along the private road and the bridge came into sight
1.The gang ready for the challenge ahead!.JPG


We cross the bridge, over the stile and follow the zig zag path untill it meets the pipe line (because we know a short cut) :lol:

so we trudge on up the grassy bank next to the pipe line to meet the path at the top, obviously this would be easier :shock:
2.Who said it was easier to come straight up the pipeline  lol.JPG


Aye right! just started, we have stopped about 300 times and my legs are killing me! :lol:
3.Next time i'm following the path lol.JPG


Team Meeting
4.There is a Munro up there im sure! lol.JPG


over another stile, across the bridge at the dam and head up towards the woods
5.Looking back towards Kenknock Farm.JPG

6.The slog continues.JPG


and just as wullie promised...
7.Only just started and Wullie spots the herd of Red Deer, the first wildlife I have really seen since my 1st Munro!.JPG


so we continue up and over and up and over and ...you get the idea :)
8.Finalising our route for the day, well for the next few steps anyway lol.JPG


We decide on our route and head upwards to Meall a’Churain
9.The worst is yet to come lol.JPG


The wind starts to pick up so this seems like a good time for some extra clothes, also means i get to wear my new gloves and balaclava :D
10.Time to get the proper gear on, except crampon's because obviously we wont need them lol.JPG


As usual the snow cover increased as we got higher, mostly soft enough to get a grip but not too soft that I would keep falling through, well not yet anyway!

Just before we reached Meall a’Churain though, we had a steep hill which was pretty impossible to climb without crampon's, somebody said I wouldnt need them so I made no effort to get a pair which i could bring :( but the benefits of walking with nice people as part of a group paid off as Wullie came to my rescue and gave me a tow up the hill 'till i could get a grip again! lol ...(note to self: must buy crampon's) :lol:
11.What's that coming over the hill.JPG


Not long and we have reached the top, it was very slippy but with my Ice Axe I always felt safe, this was probably helped due to the fact that not long after I got my Ice Axe out i slipped, started going down the hill at a quick pace, hit the ice with the axe and.......I stopped!! :lol: ...majic, it works!

Now for the black eye! Just as we approached the top of Meall a’Churain a gust of wind caught my map holder and hit me right in the corner of the eye! ..ouch!! It will be fun explaining that on Monday lol

Gary decides to wait at the top as we continue on to the summit of Sgiath Chuil, at this point we also agree that 1 Munro will be enough for today. A nice short walk and we are soon at our destination :D
12.At last we reach the summit of Sgiath Chuil.JPG

13.Another summit photo incase the mrs doesnt believe the 1st 1 lol.JPG

14.Me at the summit.JPG


As you can see from the photos (or cant see more to the point) visability was poor at the summit, for some reason the wind had gone though? We hung around a few minutes and then headed back to make sure Gary was where we left him..

...and he was. As we got to him he was climbing out of his survival bag :lol: he let go of it for 2 seconds and it obviously didnt like him, as it was off! The last view I got was his piece box inside the bag flying over the edge :lol: he gave chase, behind Troy who was obviously chasing the piece's but had to give up :lol: It was funny but what wasn't so funny was that Gary had lost 1 liner glove from 1 hand and a snow glove from another hand in the bag...or had he???

"we'll find it later" said wullie confidently!

so off we went headed for home minus a survival bag, a piece box and 2 gloves!
15.It's easier coming down...honest! lol.JPG


After several trips and falls it was decided walking down was too difficult, only 1 thing for it...
16.Bum slides...the real reason I love winter hills lol.JPG


yip, you guessed it...bum slides down the slopes :lol:

We had a bit of a race but Wullie wins by a good bit but he had an unfair advantage, he dropped his 50p juice bottle and was determined it would not go to the same place as Gary's survival bag ... :lol:
17.Its a whiteout.JPG


It was a complete whiteout so Stevie and Wullie were constantly checking the GPS just to make sure we were still on the track
18.Which way now, it all looks the same lol.JPG


"Whats that over there" asks Wullie, "It's your survival bag" he was right again! So Gary moved quicker than he had all day and gave chase and just like you see on t.v, just as he got closer it blew away again :lol: (maybe you had to be there) eventually after 1 last fall and he had rescued his survival bag...but no piece box :shock: and no gloves :shock: and as Gary puts the survival bag into the safety of his back pack, he realises his gloves where there all along :lol:

What was Troy digging for? Of course, he was just clearing away the cold snow so he could get a warm seat! :lol:
19.Troy.JPG


we carried on down and over the boggy parts, a few more falls later and we could see the woods from where we started, we also saw another 2 red deer :D
20.Almost done, for another week anyway!.JPG


Across the bridge, over the stile and a slow walk back, this time via the zig zag path!

Another excellent day out with brilliant company and my 10th Munro in the bag as well....Where next?
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erin_niamh
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby scoob999 » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:45 am

:lol: What a laugh
Sounds like you had a brill "crap" day! Just like we did when we walked with stevie and gary
Going out with other like minded people just makes the day so much more fun.
If your legs recover feel free to join us at drumochter on sunday, should be a good laugh :D
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby tomyboy73 » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:46 am

:lol: well done, safety in numbers and laughs aplenty, sounds like a good day out
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby erin_niamh » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:55 am

scoob999 wrote::lol: What a laugh
Sounds like you had a brill "crap" day! Just like we did when we walked with stevie and gary
Going out with other like minded people just makes the day so much more fun.
If your legs recover feel free to join us at drumochter on sunday, should be a good laugh :D


from what I gather this is a rather 'crappy' munro that most people are glad to get out of the way but we did have a right good laugh on it! Would have been nice to get the 2nd Munro done but we agreed it might not be as much fun lol

At times I enjoy being on my own and that brings something different but going out with like minded people definitely makes the day so much better!

I just noticed your going on Sunday and dropped it to my partner (who was looking over my shoulder) :lol: that i fancied it, I wont tell you what she said but if you see me on Sunday I might be looking for accommodation :lol:

tomyboy73 wrote::lol: well done, safety in numbers and laughs aplenty, sounds like a good day out


like Monday, if I had been on my own I would have definitely turned back, good fun and safe :D
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby jonny616 » Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:59 am

great winter hill this. Also great for sledging
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby erin_niamh » Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:04 am

jonny616 wrote:great winter hill this. Also great for sledging


i was thinking how good it would have been to have a sledge with me! ...we did consider using gary's survival bag :lol:
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby StevieM » Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:13 am

You captured the day to a tee mate.Great photos,great company and great Gary.
Stevie,Sharon and Troy
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby quoman » Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:53 am

What a day never laughed so much watching garry chasing his big orange bag it was like the (ball in the beach scenario)
thanks again to you, stevie sharon and garry for the day out added some pic's.
DSC01650.JPG
on the way up
DSC01654 - Copy.JPG
Creag na Caillich end of Tarmachan ridge a think
DSC01657 - Copy.JPG
up the pipe line Garry neil stevie
DSC01659 - Copy.JPG
sharon neil crossing the dam
DSC01660 - Copy.JPG
thats where i had a wee toilet break haha
DSC01661 - Copy.JPG
time for the crampons a think
DSC01664 - Copy.JPG
stevie and sharon crampon time
DSC01666 - Copy.JPG
finally the summit
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby EmmaTowle » Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:29 pm

Looks like you's had a good laugh. Gutted I missed it. Stupid work and not well ness. Hopefully should be able to manage getting out next weekend.
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby pollyh33 » Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:00 pm

A great report for a fun day out in difficult conditions :thumbup:

You could have made it a wee bit easier by sticking to the path. Its a stinker of a hill. I whinged all the way up this one and its mate Meall Glas :( Only cheered up when I got fabulous views at the summits :D

Well done and I trust you have an impressive tale prepared for how you got your black eye!!! :lol:
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby yokehead » Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:13 pm

A hoot of a day and great report, well done all. :D

You were lucky finding the survival bag! On my day on Chuil & Glas I lost the towel I'd been using to mop my face down in the heat. I mentioned it in my TR, a WH member found it 2 months later and returned it! :lol:

As for the map case, the things are a liabaility and require at least a 2 day specialist course in how to handle them. They're probably the cause of many a MRT callout! :lol:
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby erin_niamh » Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:46 pm

StevieM wrote:You captured the day to a tee mate.Great photos,great company and great Gary.
Stevie,Sharon and Troy


cheers stevie! great gary will be charging a fee for his company soon :lol:

quoman wrote:What a day never laughed so much watching garry chasing his big orange bag it was like the (ball in the beach scenario)
thanks again to you, stevie sharon and garry for the day out

i keep laughing to myself everytime i think of gary falling over just as he is about to dive on the bag :lol:

EmmaTowle wrote:Looks like you's had a good laugh. Gutted I missed it. Stupid work and not well ness. Hopefully should be able to manage getting out next weekend.


safe to say you missed a good day but it was tough at times so maybe not ideal if you're still not feeling great (just trying not to rub it in too much that we were on the hill having fun whilst you were stuck at work) :lol:

pollyh33 wrote:A great report for a fun day out in difficult conditions :thumbup:

You could have made it a wee bit easier by sticking to the path. Its a stinker of a hill. I whinged all the way up this one and its mate Meall Glas :( Only cheered up when I got fabulous views at the summits :D

Well done and I trust you have an impressive tale prepared for how you got your black eye!!! :lol:


cheers polly! :D except from the start we tried to stick to the path but we couldnt see 2 feet in front of us at times :lol: anyway, it all added to the fun :lol:

kinda hoping my keeker is away before monday morning to save the embarrassment :lol:

yokehead wrote:A hoot of a day and great report, well done all. :D

You were lucky finding the survival bag! On my day on Chuil & Glas I lost the towel I'd been using to mop my face down in the heat. I mentioned it in my TR, a WH member found it 2 months later and returned it! :lol:

As for the map case, the things are a liabaility and require at least a 2 day specialist course in how to handle them. They're probably the cause of many a MRT callout! :lol:


thanks yokehead :D i had read your report before we did this and i was telling sharon about your towel :lol:

and i think i might just leave the map in the house from now on, who needs maps anyway :lol:
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby Johnny Corbett » Sat Jan 07, 2012 5:14 pm

A good report of a fun day on the hills, good to see the W/H meet up section getting all you guys together, safety in numbers. You could try securing your map with your rucksack straps to stop it blowing about thats what i use to do but now it goes in the rucksack as it's a pain in the neck having it round your neck if you pardon the pun :)
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby StevieM » Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:31 pm

[quote="pollyh33"]A great report for a fun day out in difficult conditions :thumbup:

You could have made it a wee bit easier by sticking to the path.

The path was about 2ft under the snow, Polly :crazy: Had to rely on GPS to guide us :thumbup: Great fun though. :D
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Re: A black eye from a map is not chuil

Postby gaffr » Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:42 am

Dangerous bits of kit ...these map-cases :) I've seen them flailing about folks heads when out on the hill in windy conditions....when is it not windy in Alba :lol: Throw it away and chop up your maps and use a poly bag that fits into your pocket or print out the 'map for the day' from a memory map or something similar, using waterproof paper :D My two eyes are bad enough but having to make do with one would be catastrophic for me. :(
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