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Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Glen Artney - windier than my backside!


Postby Jaxter » Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:30 pm

Fionas included on this walk: Uamh Bheag

Donalds included on this walk: Beinn nan Eun, Uamh Bheag

Date walked: 27/01/2018

Time taken: 5.06 hours

Distance: 15.78 km

Ascent: 1127m

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Colin the weather man managed to find a decent forecast so we had a slightly later start than usual. As we parked up at the car parking area near the end of Glen Artney we could feel the wind whistling around the car and getting out was not an attractive thought :lol:

Soon we manned up and headed off through the gate, past the wee buildings and through a load of bog.
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We decided to cut around the side of Auchnashelloch Hill before dropping down and heading up into Coire na Fionnarachd to stay out of the worst of the wind.
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However, dropping down we encountered this:
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It was too wide to jump and way too deep to get across….Doh :lol: Colin reckoned he had spied a bridge further down the burn so headed downstream. Fortunately Colin’s beady eyes were correct and Jura and I were very happy to cross the river without getting wet :lol:
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We headed up towards the corrie. Despite being in relative shelter it was still very windy and we were hit by intermittent showers.
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We picked our route as we went; as we climbed higher there was more snow and the sun came out 8)
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Climbing out onto the ridge we were into the wind and it was blowy :shock: We made for the line of fenceposts which would lead us to the summit of Uamh Bheag. The on-and-off rain and sun caused an atmospheric rainbow behind us.
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Looking ahead to Uamh Bheag
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We could see our next target and a wind farm (more about that later!)
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As we climbed higher the wind got stronger and stronger and Colin’s wind-o-meter was reading in the mid-50s!

Colin lying down trying to hold his camera still :lol:
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My super-fast shutter speed was awesome :thumbup:
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Approaching the summit the wind had got so strong that I was actually unable to stand and had to hold onto the fence :lol:
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At the summit we met a face I’d seen in photos but didn’t realise this was where he was! This is me hanging on for dear life :lol:
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As I hung on, Colin got out his gadget which read 71mph!! No wonder I couldn’t stand :lol: Somehow Colin wasn’t having quite so many issues and was able to take a photo of me trying to get my leg over :lol:
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It definitely wasn’t the weather for hanging around so we quickly followed the fenceposts towards the trig point…
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According to the map, the higher point was the funny face, but Colin decided to do his Buzz Lightyear impression on the trig anyway :lol:
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Despite being slightly more sheltered here, we had another summit to go and the daylight wouldn’t last. We continued along the ridge, following the fenceposts towards the wind farm.
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Beinn Odhar, which we had to go over to get to our final summit
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It was quite steep in places and I’m not sure we took the best route down the side of this….
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Looking down towards the wind farm Colin could see a car parked, which turned out to be his Dad :lol: After a quick phonecall and some waving, we continued downwards to a large gash that we had to cross :lol:
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Huge crevasse safely negotiated, we made our way upwards…into the peat hags…. :crazy: Colin photobombed my photo…
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The sun doing pretty things
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We were into the deadly maze of peat hags. As we wound our way through them the rain was on and off.
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Peeking out the top of a peat hag we could see backwards
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It was windy and we didn’t really pause on Beinn Odhar. I carried on over some nicely packed snow, making good progress….turned out Colin is a wee bit heavier as he fell through :lol: :lol:

We managed to pick our way in between most of the peat hags on the way up to the summit of Beinn nan Eun and the sun came out to greet us too!
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However it didn’t last and we were off again – heading down the ridge across a field of Donald Trump’s hair :lol:
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Worried about bridges we headed towards Findhuglen where we could see one
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It was a sensible plan as it got us across safely and left us with a walk out on a good track as the light was failing. As it turned out there were many bridges (some marked on the map after a closer inspection) but hey…. :lol:

Back at the car it felt like the wind was getting even stronger :shock: as we ate our sandwiches before heading back down the road after a great day out!


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Jaxter
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby Alteknacker » Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:43 pm

71 mph :shock: . I didn't realise it was even possible to stand in wind of that speed! I was out last Friday when the Met Office was forecasting gusts of up to 58mph, and I got blown over more than once :oops: . But I didn't have an anemometer with me, so I'm guessing it must have been nearer 100 mph :D - that's my excuse...

I like Colin's trig point pose - methinks I might have seen something similar in one of your reports of a year or two back :lol: .
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby ancancha » Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:30 pm

Think of the megawatts you can get out of all that wind :lol:
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby Mal Grey » Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:39 pm

Always entertaining, one way or another!

I always wondered where The Donald got his shredded wheat hair from, now we know. It also explains why it never blows off his head, its used to strong winds!

Does Colin do what I do; look at every weather forecast he can find, until he finds one that isn't quite as bad so you can convince yourself to go anyway?


Have had a few very windy days in the past, including times where not only was standing not an option, but lying down had your legs blowing around too much to tighten a loose crampon strap...crawling to a summit is something I'll never forget. Measured gusts of 150 on Cairngorm that day, 30 miles away.
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby malky_c » Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:57 pm

I suppose the Christmas sprouts have worn off by now then!

Nicer to look at those pictures than have to be out in the wind I think. Uamh Bheag was a pleasant hill but I think those deep peat trenches on Beinn nan Eun will probably be a once-only experience for me :) .
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby matt_outandabout » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:37 pm

Great little hills - we wander up from Callander side and Meall Leathan Diall(sp?).

All around those hills are tracks that deliberately do not link up, preventing easy walking or cycling access.

Keeps them quiet for me....
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby Graeme D » Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:46 am

So if your backside is that windy (albeit less so than Glen Artney), does that mean that it was you who was letting rip all night in Duror Bothy back in October and not in fact Alan Bellis and Mark Birdsey as you indeed claim!!!!!????? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby Jaxter » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:10 pm

Alteknacker wrote:71 mph :shock: . I didn't realise it was even possible to stand in wind of that speed! I was out last Friday when the Met Office was forecasting gusts of up to 58mph, and I got blown over more than once :oops: . But I didn't have an anemometer with me, so I'm guessing it must have been nearer 100 mph :D - that's my excuse...

I like Colin's trig point pose - methinks I might have seen something similar in one of your reports of a year or two back :lol: .

Haha yeah it was pretty blowy! Slightly unnerving when you can't actually stand :shock:


ancancha wrote:Think of the megawatts you can get out of all that wind :lol:

Aye enough to power the world for a few years eh :lol: :lol:


Mal Grey wrote:Always entertaining, one way or another!

I always wondered where The Donald got his shredded wheat hair from, now we know. It also explains why it never blows off his head, its used to strong winds!

Does Colin do what I do; look at every weather forecast he can find, until he finds one that isn't quite as bad so you can convince yourself to go anyway?


Have had a few very windy days in the past, including times where not only was standing not an option, but lying down had your legs blowing around too much to tighten a loose crampon strap...crawling to a summit is something I'll never forget. Measured gusts of 150 on Cairngorm that day, 30 miles away.

I think we all do that weather check...trying to find the best area :lol: I usually have several plans ready to go! Crawling is pretty nuts, I had to do that on Beinn a'Bheithir last year. Of course it's a lot scarier on a ridge when you might get blown off instead of just over :lol:


malky_c wrote:I suppose the Christmas sprouts have worn off by now then!

Nicer to look at those pictures than have to be out in the wind I think. Uamh Bheag was a pleasant hill but I think those deep peat trenches on Beinn nan Eun will probably be a once-only experience for me :) .

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Yeah the peat hags weren't the most fun I've ever had :roll:



matt_outandabout wrote:Great little hills - we wander up from Callander side and Meall Leathan Diall(sp?).

All around those hills are tracks that deliberately do not link up, preventing easy walking or cycling access.

Keeps them quiet for me....

Yeah those tracks were a bit misleading :lol: But you're right; nice wee quiet hills 8)


Graeme D wrote:So if your backside is that windy (albeit less so than Glen Artney), does that mean that it was you who was letting rip all night in Duror Bothy back in October and not in fact Alan Bellis and Mark Birdsey as you indeed claim!!!!!????? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Ah you see, Duror Bothy was before I had discovered IKEA cinnamon rolls, which are way worse than baked beans. But still nothing on the scale of the farty brigade that night :lol:
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Re: Glen Artney - windier than my backside!

Postby Graeme D » Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:59 pm

Oh aye, blame IKEA, I like it! :lol:
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