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This is the final third day from our Skye trip a couple of months ago when my camera bit the dust and I had to borrow a spare camera from Alex. A view looking across at Ben Tianavaig which looks like a great little hill with the Storr summit behind. It was a fairly hazy day but dry with light winds.
The route Alex picked for his ascent up Glamaig, just above the sliggy campsite was from the road not far past the Sconser House Hotel and the ferry pier for Raasay. A very faint path led up through thick heather to the start of the scree runs which cover the slopes of this mountain. Although a fast way up it was pretty brutal and unrelenting although it looked all right from the bottom looking up. It was so steep in a few places through numerous small bands of rock I was considering descending by another line but eventually we reached a level shelf and could take time to recover.
Even from the Loch Sligachan side it looked steep and unrelenting, peering down.
The Head of Loch Sligachan.
Great if slightly misty views started to open up by the halfway stage.
Dun Caan and Raasay from Glamaig.
Looking towards the Red Cuillin and Bla Bheinn behind that.
Alex on the ridge.
The summit ridge of Glamaig, the best bit of the day.
Heading for the summit. A nice panoramic ridge walk.
On the way back down we knew the forecast was for another day of reasonably good weather on Skye. "Do you fancy staying up and doing Ben Tianavaig tomorrow? Alex asked.
"I'll do it if you want to stay up here but my legs are telling me otherwise. I replied honestly. The descent was twice as bad as the route up which really hammered our toes, legs and creaking knees.
"How about just going home then? He inquired.
" Best news all day. How do you feel.?
"Knackered. The hills seem much higher than in the past. How did we manage to do this stuff every day for a week then hit the pub every night years ago on holiday.
"Is that not a line from a Roxy song? We were young and keen then."
" I'm still keen." He replied. "Just sore and broken.... temporarily."
So we did.... go home that is.
The Roxy song by another old guy who is still soldiering on manfully despite the years. Mind you if we had Aussie multi instrumentalist Jorja Chalmers with us on Skye we would probably have managed Ben Tianavaig no problem. Sax or no sax....
Ah, to be young again.........great song.
Richard says it is harder on his knees when we are coming down our Stone Mountain. It's not so bad for me, maybe it is worse for tall men?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. I know I sound like a broken record, but they are.
Great pictures even with another camera Bob.
ReplyDeleteKay is right when she says descent is harder for tall men. Shorty is the tallest in our group and suffers a lot on steep descents.
Looking forward to Mr Smooth's new album Avonmore.
Tianavaig is superb - do you want me to put that report out next? we did it back in summer :-)
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to do Glamaig (if I decide to do it - and it does keep calling to me when I'm staying at Sconser) from above Sconser Lodge up the grassy end. Is that the route you took? If so, it looks/sounds horrific! :-(
Carol.
Cheers Kay,
ReplyDelete40 plus years of continual mountain bagging and a large van running into my knees at speed doesn't help either :o)
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteIf you like Bryan Ferry, the recent Olympia album is as good as anything he has done in the past and is crammed with great songs. Although I was aware of the music I never used to like him much when he was young until Avalon came out.
Hello Carol,
ReplyDeleteFeel free if you have a Tianavaig
report and I look forward to seeing it.
We went up from a layby on the straight section of road about a mile past the Sconser hotel where Glamaig has a bit of a rocky edge and it was a fast route up but pretty cruel on the legs.