​The ridges and gullies, the buttresses and chimneys of the North Face stretch across 2.5km in a straight line but many, many times more than this if you could pull them open, like a concertina, to reveal their full extent. Rising up to 500m high in a continuous sweep of rock directly to the summit, they look impossible to breach. Through this intimidating wall climbs a single, reasonable route. Ledge Route requires nothing more than scrambling skills, a good head for exposure, and the ability to find the route. But, being surrounded by such grandeur and history makes this scramble feel far more impressive than the rock beneath your boots.

​Walking up the Allt a’Mhuilinn towards the CIC Hut, the mountaineering hut safely tucked in underneath the North Face, the cliffs unfold above you with more and more complexity and detail. What you thought was a big, impressive cliff at the start turns into an even bigger and more impressive series of cliffs and gullies as you get closer.

​Immediately, the exposure is incredible and it is here that you find the crux of the route. A slab of rock, set at a very easy angle, but smooth with few helpful holds and often wet, drops away to what is already a very long way down. It is only 10m long, but it can be enough to stop upward progress. It is here that a rope might give the confidence required to climb the slab, but remember, someone needs to climb it first to put the rope in place.

​To top off the day, if you have the legs for it, go around the Carn Mor Dearg Arete and down to the North Face car park, to have the chance to admire the route you came up. There is a great satisfaction in seeing a route after having completed it, reliving the experience and fully appreciating the grandeur of the setting.

Ledge Route, Ben Nevis. A brilliant scramble through the finest of mountain scenery.

How hard is it? 
Grade II scramble, often completed without a rope, but with exposed and tenuous moves on the crux slab. The scrambling mostly requires confidence rather than climbing ability.

What skills and experience do you need? 
Hill walkers with experience of exposed routes such as Carn Mor Dearg Arete or Crib Goch will find Ledge Route as the next step up. Route finding skills are crucial. Although most people do not use a rope on a dry day in good conditions, having a rope and knowing how to use it for a simple pitch would be a good plan.

Guidebooks: Highland Scrambles South (SMC). Scotland’s Mountain Ridges (Dan Bailey – Cicerone).
​

Back in January of this year, Billy and I enjoyed the hardest day of the winter for me. We trenched our way up deep, deep snow on Tower Ridge and trenched our way all the way back down by the Red Burn. Trench Warfare! Back for more climbing and more learning, Billy and I went to Glen Coe yesterday and to Glen Nevis today. The two days could not have been much different despite both being great days of climbing. Yesterday stayed cloudy and wet on the rock. No views but fun mountaineering style climbing that will prepare Billy for an ascent of the Matterhorn at some point. We went up D Gully Buttress (Difficult), down Curved Ridge (Moderate) and up North Buttress (Difficult) to complete about ten pitches of climbing plus scrambling up and down technical ground. The clouds cleared the summit as we got back to the van!

Today in Glen Nevis, the climbing at Poldubh was dry, warm, midge free and very nice indeed. We did a tour of classic climbs including Pinnacle Ridge, Upper Pinnacle Ridge, Three Pines, Flying Dutchman (direct finish), Pine Wall and Eigerwand before lunch, then Resurection and Damnation after lunch. All this climbing and pitching gave us lots of scope for learning all the techniques of rock climbing. Billy was belaying and taking out the protection, setting up his own belay anchors and tying in to them, sorting the ropes and abseiling as if in a retreat from a climb.

It was a lovely day to be in Glen Nevis. The colours of the leaves on the silver birch are just starting to change for the autumn, and the bracken is starting to go brown. The flowers on the heather are still giving a soft purple haze but it feels like the end of the summer and the rich, deep greens are about to fade as the oranges and reds of autumn come out. A cool start added to the sense of the change in the season but the sunshine was hot this afternoon! We could still get a few weeks of warm sunny weather yet.

Billy was doing so well with all the techniques of climbing that he was keen to try a bit of leading. So, we went back down to Upper Pinnacle where he "led" a pitch placing protection and clipping it in to a rope, while on a top rope belay. After I seconded the route to check the protection, Billy led it for real with his pre-placed protection. Quite a fast progression for a first day of rock climbing, from novice to lead climber in one day of cragging! And what a brilliant way to finish a varied two days of climbing.

Lucinda and Jo are on a flying visit to Scotland this weekend with the goal of reaching the summit of Ben Nevis. They wanted something a little more challenging than the mountain track so were hoping to do CMD Arete, however the weather had other ideas. With 50mph winds forecast for the summit we opted for the much more sheltered, but still challenging route up through Coire Leis.

It was a shame to not do the Arete but the route to Coire Leis takes you right along the base of the awe-inspiring cliffs of the North Face of Ben Nevis, and today they were looking particularly moody and imposing. We were perfectly sheltered for the loose and scrambly climb up the back of Coire Leis and it wasn't long until we popped out at the cairn at the end of CMD Arete. Impeccable timing meant we had a quick sandwich with beautiful views over the Aonachs and the Mamores before making the final ascent up the boulders enveloped in cloud, hail and snow. This is the first bit of snow of the autumn so it looks like winter isn't too far away.
​Well done to Lucinda and Jo for achieving their goal and embracing pretty much every element Scotland could throw at them!

What do you need rock climbing shoes and flip flops, good planning and a bag full of enthusiasm for? Climbing Am Buachaille at Sandwood Bay, that's what. Especially if you have done no outside rock climbing before! This is the challenge that Andy and Ethan set themselves, with an atitude of giving it a go, getting the right training, and just being happy to be in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. It's good for all of us to take on challenges, new adventures, and to stretch ourselves every now and then. This trip certainly ticked all the boxes.

The weather was with us all the way. Learning to climb rock in warm sunshine above a calm glistening sea, on some of the most amazing rock anywhere, is pretty cool. Many people will choose a venue with fewer distractions to learn core skills like tying in to the rope, belaying, the pitching system, communication, asbeiling and taking out protection. But there is something totally inspiring about going to one of the farthest away bits of Scotland and learning all the skills as you go, in the place you want to be climbing. We chose a nice, gentle warm up and progression through the grades to start. V.Diff felt pretty hard as the first climb, and there was only 10m of it. But, very soon, the eyes saw the holds, fingers and feet connected with the holds, and balance and muscles worked in unison (most of the time) to allow for the climbing to happen.

We worked up to the same kind of grade as we would encounter on Am Buachaille, did several abseils over drops high above the sea, and generally got used to the system of climbing and solving the many little awkward problems that always crop up. Then we spent an idyllic night at Sheigra community crofters wild camp site, happily paying £5 per head for the luxury of flat machair for the night. Rain in the morning was forecast to clear early, and by breakfast time the blue sky was already returning and it was looking good for climbing Am Buachaille. However, this is the ultimate triathlon, with cycling, swimming and rock climbing, as well as the tide and sea state, sea gulls and slippery and sandy rock to deal with. Climbing Am Buachaille is a wonderful day of climbing, despite the quality of the climbing!

Get there early so you have plenty of time to prepare and swim the channel as soon as you can. In this way you will have the maximum time available to climb and abseil off before the tide rises again. We were ahead of time so we had the daunting site of the stack awash with water right up to its base, and waves crashing over the rocks all the way to the mainland cliff. Time to relax, wait and reassure yourself that the tide was going out. Not only this but the wind was dropping away, and the waves settling down. It was a very midgey walk down the steep loose path to the boulder beach so we were grateful of the plunge into the sea channel to wash away the little biters.

Three pitches of bold, sandy, steep rock climbing with occasional fulmar chicks still on the nest got us to the top, on Ethan and Andy's second day of outdoor rock climbing. To be fair, these guys have climbed Tower Ridge and Inaccessible Pinnacle, but two days of mountaineering don't prepare you for this kind of rock climbing! They both took it all in their stride though, seeing each and every section as a problem to decifer the solution to, calmly working out the problem until the correct combination of weight shift, pushing and pulling was found to unlock the move to the next one.

The swim back across the channel always seems a lot more friendly than the swim over in the first place. Only just after low tide, with calmer seas and more shelter provided by the base of the stack did make it much more friendly, but there is a psychological part of the calmness too. Swimming over for first time was full of uncertainty, swimming back was just fun. Massive congratulations to Andy and Ethan for even taking on the challenge, let alone how well you picked up everything and put it into practice straight away on one of the country's most adventurous sea stacks. Big respect!

By Sally

With a day off yesterday and plenty of dry rock around, Caspar, Ruari and I were in need of a good day out in the mountains. Our options were either a big multi pitch route - Minus One Direct perhaps - or all of the Ben Nevis ridges, and it was very hard to decide. That was, until we got out of the van at the top car park. We were covered in midges instantly and the decision was made. We were going for the ridges. ​At that point we were actually under a layer of low cloud but MWIS suggested that the tops would be above, which made the idea of getting up high even more appealing.

But which order to do them in? If we were going to do all the ridges we wanted to do ALL of them, including CMD Arete. It is a ridge on Ben Nevis after all! So the logical place to start was with an ascent of Castle Ridge. The bottom part of the route was in the cloud still, but climbing the crux brought us out into the sunshine and looking down on the cloud that was just beginning to break up. From there we headed up the bouldery slopes of Carn Dearg and down Ledge Route. We wanted to avoid going back on ourselves as much as possible but we would have to do a little bit of looping around in order to use Tower Ridge as a descent, so next up was Observatory Ridge. This is the most sustained of all the ridges but being fully absorbed in the climbing meant we were at the summit before we knew it. Trotting past the crowds enjoying the sunshine, we headed for Tower Ridge and timed it perfectly. The parties we had seen on the ridge had already summitted so we had a clear run all the way down and back into Observatory Gully.

The third ascent of the day was North East Buttress and the legs were still feeling surprisingly ok. It was Ruari's first time on this route so he got the fun of leading Caspar and I up the Mantrap and the 40 Foot Corner, and once again we were on the summit plateau. Down the boulders we went, and on to our final ridge of the day - CMD Arete. It was a beautiful run along the Arete looking back at all of the ground we had covered, but making the final climb up the summit of Carn Mor Dearg, my legs were definitely beginning to feel all the ascent they had done. All that was left was the nice gradual descent and we were back at the van in exactly 9 hours.
This is something I had wanted to do for a while so it felt amazing to have done it on such a beautiful day, with good company and still feel pretty good after 17km and 2300m of ascent. I guess all the lockdown training has paid off!

How did you get through lockdown? It was a tough time for everyone, and a very tough time for some people. It will take many months before life returns to something like as free as it was last year, and the cost will be with us for many years to come. For me, I tried to resist the pressure to do something, the take up a new interest, learn a new skill. But, to stay fit, I did a bit of running.

Of course I jumped in far too hard at the start. Coming out of a winter of plodding in big boots, carrying big bags and ice climbing, I should have known that I would need to build up to running any kind of distance. Choosing routes that were too long and wearing old shoes gave me a touch of plantar fasciitis (sore feet) within a couple of weeks. Thankfully we had to do a two week stretch of self-isolation, a perfect rest period imposed on me, just at the right time. 

So I got new running shoes and dialled it down a little. I was a bit more measured in what I took on and reminded myself that I am not in my early twenties still (far from it). The achiness in my legs after a run started to diminish each time and I started to enjoy the experience at the time, not just after I had finished each run. I started to feel strong, fluid and as if I could keep going for a bit longer. Sharing these experiences with friends of mine raised the notion of a suitable objective to train towards. Compared with all the huge routes and records that have been taken on and achieved by many people, Tranters Round is quite modest. But it was a big deal for me and the perfect test of my new found running legs.

Tranter's Round is effectively the Glen Nevis skyline. I can see it from my bedroom window and it is a very aesthetic route. It is about 60km with 6000m of ascent, links 18 Munros and includes Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor and Beag, The Grey Corries and all the Mamores. To do it properly you start at the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis, but I thought it would be nice to start at my house since I live so close.

It was proper Alpine start with the alarm going off at 2.15am and setting off at 3am. The weather was set to be hot and sunny so an early start to avoid the worst of the heat was a good idea. Also, it's a really long way and it would be nice to finish before it gets dark! Somehow starting in the dark seems better and I got the timing right to arive on Ben Nevis as it got light enough to see without a torch. Mist on the summit made the rocks wet so the CMD Arete was a little slippery in my running shoes but as I got to Carn Mor Dearg I turned round to see the most wonderful cloud formations. The mist I had been inside was a flow of clouds pouring through the cols and into the coires.

The Grey Corries in the early morning were home to red deer and me, trotting along the ridge, enjoying the experience of moving fast and light. Under the few clouds and in occasional mist the temperature stayed low enough, but I made sure to stay hydrated even so. As the sun rose it shone down into the mist and created some brilliant brochenspectres. For the first half of the day I had a huge smile on my face, just because the beauty of the place and the feeling of running along these beautiful ridges. I was smiling during the second half o fthe run as well, but only on the inside.

To get across to the Mamores, you have to drop down to 400m, into the heat, tussocks and peat hags, just as the distance covered started to make itself known in the feeling of my legs. It is a big dip in altitude and the climb back up to The Mamores was a real dip in energy levels. To give me a boost, I saw an owl fly up out of a patch of heather in a peat hag. I was so close to it when it took off I saw every detail of its plumage. It was as surprised to see me as I was to see it. I have not often seen owls so close, especially out in the wilds like this.

There are two peaks at the end of the Mamores that sit separate to the main ridge. So, the first big climb is followed by two more only slightly less big climbs before you arrive at the end of the main ridge line of the Mamores. Mercifully, a gentle breeze and a few clouds kept the temperature down enough and regular water stops kept me going. Plus, you get to see how far you've come. Looking across Glen Nevis, Ben Nevis is a massive hulk of a mountain and you can see all the way along the Grey Corries past the Aonachs. It's a very rewarding thought, seeing all these peaks and knowing you have covered all that distance.

Inevitably I slowed down towards the end. Sore feet from being wet (take dry socks next time) and heavy legs made the ascents slower, the stops more frequent and the steep downs a walk instead of a run. I could still manage to run along the wonderful bit of ridge to the last Munro, Mullach nan Coirean, and down into Glen Nevis. However, the last bit of flat track reduced me to half walking, half running. I returned to the road near the Youth Hostel to a wonderful greeting from Louise and Katie, a wee tear and a gratefully received lift down the tarmac back home.

At 17.5 hours for my Tranter's Round, Finlay Wild can rest assured that I will not be taking his record off him any time soon. He recently beat his own record, setting a new fastest known time of about 9 hours. For us mortals, anything less that double Finlay's time is good.

​So, mission accomplished. I am now a runner.

​“How hard is Ben Nevis?” and “Is Ben Nevis harder than Snowdon?” are questions we often get asked. Hopefully this blog will help answer these questions.
 
It is difficult to know whether you are capable of walking up Ben Nevis. Unless you have done similar walks up other mountains, you have no gauge or marker to tell you that you will be able to manage it. We all like to think that we are quite fit and healthy but this is the biggest mountain in the UK.
 
Here are the numbers. The walk up Ben Nevis from Glen Nevis is 16km (8km each way) which is 10 miles. This on its own is fine. Along the flat we can walk at about 4km/hr or 5km/hr, so it would take four hours to do the whole thing. But, of course, there is also the climb up and down to think about.

​Ben Nevis has 1300m of ascent and descent in those 16km. This is the height of a 430-storey building. The path up Ben Nevis is not as steep as the steps in a building but you can perhaps get an idea of what is involved by walking up the tallest building you can find or walking up a few flights of stairs lots of times.
 
If you have a hill in your area that is, say, one quarter the size of Ben Nevis, you can use this as a gauge. A hill that is 325m high and the path is 2km to the top is one quarter the size of Ben Nevis; walk this four times and you will get a good idea of what Ben Nevis is like. It’s not quite like Ben Nevis though because changing from climbing up to walking down repeatedly makes it easier. We are not using the same muscles in the same way repeatedly for as long.

​We all know that walking up will be hard work, and we are right. It might take 3 or 4 hours (or sometimes 5 hours) to reach the top. The angle of the path is much the same for the entire climb up, so it is unrelenting hard work for 4 hours. After a short rest at the top, we soon discover that walking down is just as hard work and possibly sorer than climbing up, especially as we will be walking down for 3 or 4 hours.
 
On the climb up our cardiovascular systems are working hard. On the way down, it is easy for our hearts and lungs, but the muscles in our legs work very hard, plus the jarring on our feet, ankles and knees, make it harder than you think.

​The surface of the path is dry and mostly very good. The lower half of the path is very well made with smooth sections of grit and small steps made with rocks. The upper half has more small, loose rocks on the path and more random, irregular rocks scattered about. These are mobile, quite loose and make it harder work underfoot. The small rocks also push into the soles of your shoes, so sturdy soled shoes or boots are best.
 
If you only ever walk on smooth pavements and concrete and don’t do any exercise that will strengthen your ankles (such as tennis, dancing, squash, football, cross-fit) you will find it hard to walk over the irregular surface of the trail and it will be harder work for you (especially your ankles).

Coming down is always hard work on your thigh muscles and the joints of your legs. Do as much training as you can in preparation for your walk up Ben Nevis by walking up and down hills. If you don’t have hills near you, try walking along a coastal path. These often have lots of smaller ups and downs. If you can’t get out at all, try walking up and down as many stairs as you can, but remember to try to train your ankles on irregular surfaces somewhere as well. Walking on sand and pebble beaches is excellent for this.

​Snowdon is 1085m high compared to Ben Nevis at 1345m high. If you start in Llanberis at 110m above sea level, the height gain is 990m and the distance is 7.3km each way. So, Ben Nevis is about one third bigger than Snowdon if you walk the Llanberis path. If Snowdon took you 6 hours, Ben Nevis will take you 8 hours. (From Pen y Pass on the Pyg Track there is 870m of ascent over 5.9km.)
 
Most people who take on the walk up Ben Nevis do make it to the top and back down. It is only one day, so some people are happy to try harder than they ever have done before, knowing that they can take a day or two of rest afterwards. Make sure you go prepared for a long, gruelling day, take all the right clothing and equipment, drink and eat lots on the way, and use walking poles on the descent, you will probably be OK.
 
And remember, it’s only a mountain. If it turns out to be too much, just turn around and come back down, before you can’t take another step! Enjoy being on the mountain, soak up the atmosphere and the landscape, enjoy the nature of the place. Reaching the summit is just one part of the Ben Nevis experience.

It's school holiday time so team Pescod went out for a family adventure, right on our doorstep. You don't have to go far for a full on adventure, especially if you are 10, 14 or 16 years old. For a few years now I have wanted to enjoy a day on the North Face of Ben Nevis with my children and today everything came together. Louise and Victor (our dog) came up to the CIC Hut before continuing round by the half way lochain and down the mountain path to Fort William. The rest of us went up Tower Ridge, certainly too hard for a dog but would it be OK for a 10 year old?

All our children have done a lot of climbing indoors and quite a few days outdoors. We've also done some scrambling and Owen has done quite a few bigger mountain days. For him, this was the third time up Ben Nevis and he has enjoyed Curved Ridge a few years ago. For Megan and Katie, this was the first time up Ben Nevis and we chose the hard way to make it even more special for them. Tower Ridge is very exposed and feels like a big place to be climbing (it is!). But, I know them all very well, I knew they could do all the climbing, and we had biscuits to keep little legs working.

There was a little flutter of nerves for everyone as we crossed Tower Gap. The exposure here is something else and stepping across the void of Glover's Chimney is always intimidating. The flutter of nerves did not cause any fluster though and we got to the top in good order to join the crowds on the summit. Lots of walkers and climbers have been unlocked and are enjoying the walking and climbing here now. There is lots of fresh air, breathing space and socially distant adventures to enjoy. Little legs like going down hill about as much as big, older legs; not very much! We will all have sore legs tomorrow but being young, their legs will recover a lot faster than mine! 

This week Nigel and I have continued with the theme of variety in the climbs we have done. On Tuesday we went to Applecross with its wonderful range of sandstone mountains, big vistas and wide open landscape. We climbed the mega classic Cioch Nose in improving weather. We got wet on the walk in, climbed the first two pitches on wet rock and enjoyed the rest of the climbing and th scramble to the top in the dry and with the cloud above the tops.

The sandstone is so clean and grippy that the wet rock does not make much difference to the climbing. We wore rock shoes to compensate and it was fine. If you walk in from the top of Beallach na Ba it is a short downhill walk to the climb and a very short walk back to the van after the climb. This makes it a reasonable climbing day trip from Fort William and you really feel like you've been on an adventure.

Today was another wet day in the west so we went east to find dry rock. Creag Dubh at Newtonmore can't be much more different to Cioch Nose, but it is just much fun to climb there. It is just a few minutes walk from the road and offers steep climbing on (mostly) good positive holds. We climbed King Bee and Brute, a pair of lovely VS 5a climbs on the Main Wall. There are some very serious climbs here and it was nice to see a few other teams out enjoying them. A friend of mine told me many years ago the climbs here do not get any harder as you go up through the grades, they just get bolder!

Thankfully these two climbs have great protection right where you need it and abseil anchors to get down easily after two or three pitches of climbing. The outlook is lovely and the showers seemed to bounce off the crag and away again so we didn't get wet at all.

​Next time out Nigel and I should go to the Etive Slabs for the opposite experience to Creag Dubh! I will feel much more at home, that's for sure.

In my recent blog I was wrong about the legislation and I need to correct this. Sorry folks. My (incorrect) understanding was that camping next to your car close to the road is not governed by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code because the code is for non-motorised transport. I was wrong.

It's all explained very well in the 2016 update here - https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/managing-informal-camping-under-land-reform-scotland-act-2003 - camping close to the road does fall into the catogory of wild camping and we have the right to do it, as long as we do so responsibly.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code explanation is in two parts, first stating the statutory position in the Act (i) “You can camp in this way wherever access rights apply...”, and then with subsidiary Code guidance (ii) “...but help avoid causing problems for local people and land managers by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farm animals and by keeping well away from buildings, roads or historic structures. "

This does make it slightly confusing due to the conflicting statements that we have the right to camp close to the road but we should try to camp well away from the road. The responsibilities that come with the right are very clear and if we do not observe these responsibilities wild camping becomes unlawful.

• avoid overcrowding by moving on to another location;
  
• carry a trowel to bury your human waste and urinate well away from open water, rivers and burns;
  
• use a stove or leave no trace of any camp fire. Never cut down or damage trees;
  
• take away your rubbish and consider picking up other litter as well; 

"Camping is therefore a legitimate activity wherever access rights apply, including some locations close to roads, subject to responsible behaviour and any restrictions resulting from other legislation, including byelaws - for example concerning car parking. Access rights do not legitimise any activity that is an offence under other legislation and do not, for example, provide an ‘excuse’ for antisocial behaviour.

Scottish access rights apply to non-motorised recreation and do not therefore extend to activities that are entirely based on the use of a vehicle, such as sleeping in cars, camper vans or caravans." Sleeping in your car or campervan falls under different legislation and is not wild camping.

Dave Robinson gave me a great quote - "The bottom line is there is responsible camping on land where access rights apply and if you don't do it responsibly then you no longer have the right. This applies to mountain summits just as much as it does to roadsides."

It is clear to see that lots of irresponsible wild camping has been taking place in very many areas recently. The solutions I suggested in my previous blog still stand and match very closely the approach taken by SNH. They have run national information campaigns and provide resources such as posters for land managers to use - https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/practical-guide-all/camping 

There still seems to be a problem though. The message is not getting through to the right people and the management solutions are not being delivered. In these days of social media, an information campaign combining video and print media with a well known spokesperson delivered by Visit Scotland and SNH should be a quick and simple thing to achieve. It's not so quick and easy to build facilities to mitigate the impact of wild camping, and the process should perhaps be much simpler for local communities.

Thanks to Dave Robinson and Nick Kempe for correcting me on the legislation. It's important to get this right. It's also important to have simple, achievable solutions so that everyone gets to enjoy the outdoors as they should.