Out on the Cuillin

June 25th, 2010 • Hill walking, Mountains • Misha

One moment I was in Glasgow, the next I was standing on the Cuillin Ridge. It seemed that all I did was blink and there I was, 8pm on Saturday night. Quite why it took me so long to come to these mountains I don’t know, but my reaction was not one that I expected. Up on the ridge I felt constricted, like I couldn’t move backwards, forwards or any which way without going over some kind of drop to a seemingly certain death. This landscape is intimidating, it took me almost an hour to make any kind of move along the ridge, fighting an overwhelming urge to go straight back down. I had no guide book, no advice on which way to go, no rope, and no partner to belay me even if I did have a rope.

Three who were bedding in for a Bivi on one of the tops found it amusing that I had a fishing rod ‘Fishing trip gone out of control’ I said. I edged my way along the ridge but got spooked at an airy gap. I couldn’t see any sensible way round without climbing a short section of rock with a large drop beneath it, which I wasn’t confident enough to commit to. In an attempt to find a way round it I ended up going further and further down, almost unintentionally finding an escape route off the ridge, but also quite glad to be on safer ground.

Down in the Coire, and held hostage by a cloud of midgies I slept in. Back at Sea Level I was a spare part hanging about at the Glen Brittle campsite on my own, and so I went for run, out to the point, on by the island of Soay, where I shouted down to a sea Kayaker, and round the back of the Cuillin towards Coruisk following a deer. After a few hours of running through the bogs my legs tired.

At Sligachan, having a pint with a new friend Terry, we planned a trip up Am Basteir the next day. The cloud would spoil our plan, and I watched the old and new chief clash later that night, when Billy got knocked off his feet.

Jen gave me a lift back and we stopped by the Cluanie Damn, where I caught no fish, but she did take some photos. Another Highland adventure.

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The Country Code, which most of us learned in school (and we probably haven't read since!), was updated in 2004 when it became the Countryside Code. Here's the updated version: In Scotland, where there is a more general right of access, there also exists the Scottish Outdoor Access Code: There's obviously a lot to to be learned from these - it's amazing how many people get out to enjoy the countryside but are still happy to leave it in a mess. Even with the recent updates, the Countryside Codes seem slightly outdated when considering the wider issues involved when lots of people get out into the countryside. Some places just can't handle high volumes of people, no matter how they behave and publicity, no matter how interesting or well-done , has the potential to attract lots of people to an area. Blogs including video, pictures or words, form part the the wider media which could easily contribute to tipping the balance, and so we as bloggers have to consider the implications of what we decide to post. Can the place we're writing about take more people, and if not, it might be wiser to leave maps, place names or grid references out of posts. In Scotland, the Mountain Bothies Association has been careful to protect the location of some Bothies due to mis-treatment and, in some cases, even malicious vandalism. That is not to say they would not advocate people using them - in fact, a well used, maintained and loved network of bothies exist, and the MBA as an organisation is there to encourage this. Some bothies are busier than others but generally it is the less remote places which are more susceptible to abuse - something which might be worth considering when deciding whether to post information. It must be said, in most cases it's obvious what should or shouldn't be publisiced, but it's worth taking these considerations to mind.

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