Scotland/Skye Meet 24th May- 2nd June

Trips & Meets
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I have Skye Outcrops, Skye Scrambles, and Gary Latter North and South (the latter of which is IMO crap for Skye).

Also, those thinking of stopping in the Lakes:

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I also have 3 of the 5 Skye 1:25000 maps and all of the Lakes maps & definitive guides (albeit some may be oldish), plus the 2015 FRCC Lakes District Rock. I’ll probably leave it at that. Climbing harder routes with Paul for a couple of days would be awesome; I just need to live up to the billing!

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Thanks to all for filling out the spreadsheet, @adam_b dam can you let us know dates when you have them, also @katy_c when you know. (I’ve added a second sheet which shows peoples’ dates in calendar form, makes it easier for me to visualise!)

We’ll look at organising vehicles next week but it looks like at present we can get everyone out of London ok in the two cars. It might be a squeeze on the way to the Lakes, but I can fit loads of gear on/in van (have roof bars for your MTB Adam if needed?) and food, will have two coolboxes and twin gas rings. On previous meets we’ve left one car en route to save fuel and reduce the trip’s footprint a bit, worth considering.

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Sounds good, I’ve updated spreadsheet, mtb for me is optional if more space is needed, but I was a bit inspired by Danny’s movie (should I try the Ridge with mtb? or maybe front-flip first
)

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News from Skye that the change in weather means the midges are now out, so make sure you have a head net and midge repellant. I use Smidge, others use Skin So Soft (which just drowns them in grease), others use Deet (which melts plastic, but is apparently safe on climbing ropes). They do get bad (especially on belay), but a bit of a breeze keeps them down.

The weather up there has been stunning over the last week or so, hoping that wasn’t the ‘usual’ Skye High pressure window. Should be ok and the ground is very dry, which is good.

If everyone can confirm dates asap so we can organise vehicles etc. Any thoughts on campsites to meet at Lakes on friday night, or I suggest wild camping at Wrynose Pass. This was the view a year ago today

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or Walna Scar. I’m in the van so not so fussed!

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Hey :slight_smile: work is proving tricky and I’m unlikely to know if I can make it until Tues or Weds. To avoid being a pain, leave me out of travel plans & if I can make it, I’ll train up and either catch you Carlisle M6 junction on Saturday or I’ll train up to kyle of lochalsh on Sunday & get a bus over to Skye :smiley: As soon as I know, I’ll let you guys know.

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Hiya,

I can confirm these dates. I’ll try to come back to London either Tuesday night or Wednesday morn 28th/29th. Shame I can’t stay the whole week.

If anyone has some suggestions of best way to get myself back to London from where we’ll be that would be most welcome. I am guessing bus from Skye to Inverness and then train/fly back?

Thanks

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Hi Tui, great you can come for a bit. Personally I’d like to be on Skye all week, but it does depend on the weather, and we may be elsewhere (although I’d imagine Highlands) which makes booking tickets a bit of a pain.

There are trains from Kyle of Lochalsh, or Mallaig, to Inverness or Fort William. I’ve used the FW-Euston sleeper before and it is brilliant, but almost certainly booked up and probably expensive.

unfortunately @PaulSagar isn’t heading south until the 31st

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@katy_c, if Adam and Peter are both taking cars then I think you will be able to get a lift on the Friday?

At present we could posibly do it with Adam’s car (no MTB!) and Katy trains it, or both cars and Katy can get a lift as well. Once there we are fine as there is my van too which has three seats up front.

Over to Adam and Peter for what they think on cars
 Can you wait until Katy has confirmed before final decision? Guess also depends on the amount of kit of course for the initial leg to the Lakes, and back down. It’s a long journey to be really packed in


Rack wise we probably want three (plus Paul will have his): so Peter’s, mine and Adam’s.

Ropes: an ab rope would be handy -Peter? And three sets of halfs, Peter’s mine and Adam’s. I don’t know that any longer ropes will get used, but Daniel’s 40m single could be good as a traverse/scrambling rope if it is thin enough to be lighter than a 50 half rope. I have a short confidence rope.

I’m assuming everyone has helmet/harness/belay device/prussics/locking crab and a sling? Approach shoes you can climb in are a really good idea.

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Can everyone abseil? Up for doing Pinnacle Ridge (Diff) again


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I am up for abseils/traverses/all the things that make routes more interesting, not just climbing up. No rush for me in terms of cars planning, fine for sleeping anywhere in Lakes. Midges, ohh


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Just to confirm, my car does have 4 seats, I only said that I could take only 2 passengers to avoid being cramped with climbing & camping ( or glamming!?) equipment.

On another point, my desire is to rock climb each day, rather than walk/scramble, in order to preserve my knee; therefore I will be looking for a climbing partner each day, either to second or share leads; is that likely to work for the group?

Assuming this works, it probably makes sense for me to take my car, so that I can drive to a crag, whilst another group can drive to a scramble/walk.

I would definitely take my ab robe, aswell as half ropes, as some of the coastal cliffs need to be abseiled into.

Regards camping in the Lakes, I am happy to fit into any plan, but my vote would be to stay at a camp site, where there’s toilets etc.

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HĂ­ PĂ©tĂ©, ĂșndĂ©rstóód, my hip and knees aren’t great either and will be creaking badly after the drive up.

It is good to set out what we all want to get done. Í cĂ©rtĂĄĂ­nly wĂĄnt tĂł rock clĂ­mb ĂĄnd Í believe everyone else does tóó, ĂĄlbĂ©Ă­t mĂĄybĂ© nĂłt ĂĄt yĂłĂș and Paul’s lĂłfty grĂĄdĂ©s :wink: mĂĄybĂ© not Ă©vĂ©ry dĂĄy, and maybe with more of a mountaineering angle than you. I think we have enough of a mix that everyone can do what they feel happy with, hopefully push their skills and leading over the week, and have a great trip. I’m very happy to go climbing with inexperienced members (but I don’t like climbing as a three on ‘harder’ routes) and show the ropes, but don’t want to do that all week. It’s an extremely rare week off for me so I reserve right to be a bit selfish!

Ás yĂłĂș knĂłw thĂ© wĂĄlk-Ă­ns cĂĄn bĂ© ‘qĂșĂ­tĂ© lĂłng’ Ă­n ScĂłtlĂĄnd, ĂĄnd Ăłn thĂ© CĂșĂ­llĂ­n ĂĄt lĂ©ĂĄst thĂ©rĂ© cĂĄn bĂ© ĂĄ lĂłt Ăłf grĂłĂșnd tĂł cĂłvĂ©r, bĂșt thĂ©ré’s lóåds Ăłf brĂ­llĂ­ĂĄnt clĂ­mbs tĂł Ă©nchĂĄĂ­n ĂĄll thĂ© wĂĄy Ășp SrĂłn nĂĄ CĂ­chĂ© wĂ­th no wĂĄlkĂ­ng ĂłncĂ© stĂĄrtĂ©d. Í cĂ©rtĂĄĂ­nly wĂĄnt tĂł dĂł mĂłrĂ© Ăłf thĂ©m, nĂ©Ă©d tĂł gĂ©t Ăłn ÍntĂ©grĂ­ty! The TD crags also look awesome. Same at Glen Coe, and Ben Nevis, both awesome venues with something for everyone, and places we’ve climbed before on this trip.

WĂ© will nĂ©Ă©d ĂĄt lĂ©ĂĄst twĂł vĂ©hĂ­clĂ©s, bĂșt ĂĄ bĂĄsĂ© ĂĄt GlĂ©n BrĂ­ttlĂ© mĂ©ĂĄns thĂ©rĂ© Ă­s ĂĄ wĂłrld Ăłf rĂłck clĂ­mbĂ­ng, mĂłĂșntĂĄĂ­nĂ©Ă©rĂ­ng, scrĂĄmblĂ­ng, wĂĄlkĂ­ng, swimming, whĂĄtĂ©vĂ©r
 wĂ­th nĂł nĂ©Ă©d fĂłr daily drives. SĂĄmĂ© at GlĂ©n Cóé ĂĄnd BĂ©n NĂ©vĂ­s. Í’d imagined that yĂłĂș ĂĄnd PĂĄĂșl mĂ­ght hĂ©ĂĄd Ăłff tĂł KĂ­lt RĂłck Ăłn ĂłnĂ© Ăłf thĂ© dĂĄys bĂșt hé’ll hĂĄvĂ© thĂ© KĂĄngĂł. My Ăłnly thĂłĂșght wĂĄs fĂłr thĂ© trĂ­p fóótprĂ­nt ĂĄs Ă­ts ĂĄ lĂłt Ăłf mĂ­lĂ©s!

PĂ©rsĂłnĂĄlly Í’d rĂĄthĂ©r nĂłt bĂ© dóíng lóåds Ăłf drĂ­vĂ­ng ĂłĂșt ĂĄnd bĂĄck tĂł crĂĄgs Ă©ĂĄch dĂĄy, bĂșt Ă­t’s ĂĄll a bĂĄlĂĄncĂ©, ĂĄnd ĂĄll dĂ©pĂ©nds Ăłn thĂ© wĂ©ĂĄthĂ©r ĂłbvĂ­ĂłĂșsly. If you would like to mostly do sea cliffs (for example) then that probably does mean driving out and back as there wouldn’t be routes for everyone there.

We’ve always done a mix of wild camping and campsites on this trip as it gives the most flexibility and least crag ‘commute’, plus gets you into some awesome wild camping spots, but we usually have a base camp at Glen Brittle for bulk of the week. With the van we’ll have enough water, and there is always somewhere for a swim and a wash.

As I have a van, Í’m nĂłt Ășp wĂ­th cĂĄmpsĂ­tĂ©s Ă­n LĂĄkĂ©s ĂĄny mĂłrĂ©, Ă­f yĂłĂș cĂĄn fĂ­nd ĂĄ cĂĄmpsĂ­tĂ© thĂĄt wĂ­ll still bĂ© ĂłpĂ©n by thĂ© tĂ­mĂ© wĂ© gĂ©t thĂ©rĂ© thĂ©n fantastic, Ă­f nĂłt thĂ©n Í hĂĄvĂ© ĂĄ spĂĄdĂ© and will have a full water butt :smile:

(NĂłt qĂșĂ­tĂ© sĂșrĂ© why my fĂłnt hĂĄs gĂłnĂ© ĂĄll fĂșnny!)

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My van has developed ‘serious mechanical issues’, trying to get a new vehicle in time :frowning:

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Oh no! And isn’t it always just at the best time


Good luck getting a replacement mate

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Thanks for that @chizharward, sounds good to me. I am certainly happy with mixing coastal cliffs with mountain routes and the tide times are not great for the tidal sea cliffs anyway. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your van


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thanks, sadly Sadie the Mercedes is no more, hopefully I will find Sadie 2 before Friday lunchtime!

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Hi guys,
Unfortunately it seems like I won’t be able to make it on Fri/Sat.
I’m being told I need to be in London on the 28th for work.
Might still be able to bugger of on the 29th though. I’ll keep you updated.

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Check the forecast before you do, it’s not a great ATM


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Ah no! Is doable for a long weekend, but imagine we’ll spend a chunk of the 2nd sunday heading south. Keep us updated, but for now we’ll assume you are out of the travel plans for going up