Advertisement
Published: June 26th 2011
Oban
So we set off from Glasgow to Fort William, via Oban on the west coast. The road isn't exactly straight to Oban from Glasgow, and it took us winding around the countryside following the coastline for most of it. Along the way we found a church - a very old church (the name of which has escaped us - bad tourists!) - which we were able to walk in and check out its great architecture. It appeared to still be in regular use, though with stone floors and walls, it would be a pretty cold service and this is summer... I hope it still gets a hearty attendance during the winter months! :S
Before getting into Oban, there was a castle ruin on a peninsula which we also went to investigate (when in Scotland...). It was Dunstaffnage Castle, which was built on a huge rock in the 13th century (so we can't be too disappointed that it wasn't fully in tact) and was supposedly the stronghold of the mighty MacDougalls - at least until Robert the Bruce captured it in 1309.
On into Oban and the wrong turn Brett took turned into a drive up to the curious
Victorian recreation of the Colosseum - McCaig's Folly. McCraig being a local banker and self-proclaimed 'philosophical essayist' he commissioned this as a tribute to himself and so the townspeople would always remember him and his family. Ego aside, it does provide a great view of the bay on which the town sits. After lunch we were back on the road with Fort William in our sights.
We didn't get that far out of town before finding another castle ruin (surprise, surprise) Castle Stalker. This one a little less accessible, sitting on a little island less than a hundred meters from shore. We're not sure if it's accessible at low tide or only via boat but either way we found a good spot to take a few happy-snaps (good tourists) and moved on.
Fort William
Since having conquered one tall peak on our travels already, we begun to ponder attempting another and considering we would be staying in Ben country, Nevis seemed a likely follow up.
When we arrived at our accommodation we found out that one of the owners was a registered mountain guide, with plenty of experience in the surrounding ranges, including the UK's highest peak
Taking directions
Where all the tomfoolery started...Ben Nevis.
We decided to do our own in-depth research on the recommendations for planning a hike (i.e we looked at anything that was plastered on the hostel walls) and decided to sleep on it. After all, we weren't exactly on a trekking holiday and were therefore not fully prepared for serious hikes. Most of all the weather was going to play a big part. If there was rain, we would sleep in. If not, we would try our luck - and lungs.
Ben Nevis
The weather was looking average: no rain thankfully, no strong winds, just a lot of cloud cover and a cool temperature of no more than 10 deg. Possibly ideal walking conditions? Well we didn't know either, so we set off for the car park where we would begin our mission to the 1343m peak. Much to our relief, there were a few others also taking the opportunity to take the challenge; it's a popular trek and accessible for most hikers.
The climb started easily compared to Kirk Fell in the Lake District. It was a slow incline and even had steps in places, so we were starting to think this wouldn't be too
Looking on at Ben's little sister
Our half-time view. We also managed to see some of the local Scottish air force flying between the two mountains, just above the lake - very cool! bad after all.
After just over an hour's walking, we had finally made it... onto Ben Nevis. And then in the next 30 minutes we were half way! The peak was out of view due to low cloud, and we were getting close to the level of that cloud. Then next 30 minutes took us into the cloud. Visibility was perhaps around 30 meters and the there was definitely no hope in judging how much further to go.
After a further 30 minutes, we saw cloud so thick that it was pure white. Well we initially thought it was cloud until we realised it was in fact snow. Our other initial thought was we had made it to the top. But as we got closer, we saw that we needed to walk through the snow and that the peak kept going up!
It was just under 3 hours since set-off and just past midday when we finally made our final steps to the peak! At last we were in the thick of the cloud and it wasn't hiding any more to ascend. We sat down (not for the first time since the car park I might add)
Above the clouds
Starting to appreciate the height to enjoy some much deserved chocolate and other snacks, before getting ready to tackle the descent.
On the way back, the cloud started to lift and the sun even made a bit of an appearance. The valleys and lochs below revealed themselves and the views were simply stunning.
Bizarrely enough, the journey back down the mountain was almost as long as it took to get up. Our legs - specifically the knees - were screaming by the time we made it back to the car! But we had done; the Lingards had conquered Ben Nevis!
A peak each in England and Scotland. Will Wales complete the trifecta?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.225s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 13; qc: 54; dbt: 0.052s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
