Ladies Luncheon Club (LLC) Isle of Skye meet
By Sabina Cosulich
LLC UK members: Sheena Hendrie, Sabina Cosulich, Michelle Harvie and Bridget Mapleson.
LLC Swiss branch: Kirsten Mundt.
Honorary LLC Swiss branch guest: Heather Sadlish.
LLC aspirants: Jim Symon and Mark Garrod.
First challenge: packing the car. Well, how does one fit four LLC members with all of their attires, espresso makers, jars of olives, hair driers, homemade ginger cakes and the kitchen sink in one car?
We arrived at the Glen Brittle hut (a little bit stiff from travelling with tons of food on our laps) to find that Sheena had planned the ascent of the first Munro for that same afternoon. Sgurr na Banachdich was ‘bagged’ and the ladies were back at the hut in time for smoked salmon canapés and chicken with olives.
In order to make the most of the supposedly good weather, the next day the LLC team (+ guests and aspirants) decided to go for a ‘walk in the park’ (or at least that is what we told Heather, who had never done any scrambling before) and scramble up Clach Glas and Bla Bheinn. Thank goodness our aspirants (Mark and Jim) had a good sense of direction, as finding our way off Bla Bheinn was a bit of a challenge, even for the LLC. Eleven hours later, the team arrived back at the Glen Brittle hut for another gourmet meal with a suitable wine selection.
A sub-branch of the LLC decided it would be wise to start sending off Michelle and Kirsten for early morning swims in the sea, in order to make the day’s activities fair for everyone else. Of course that also meant that certain standards of coffee and breakfast were maintained at all times. In the absence of a morning swim, evening swims were also on the cards (hang on - did we really see Sheena in a swimsuit, going into the sea?).
Having persuaded Heather that this next plan was really going to be a walk in the park, the LLC team set off the next day to scramble up the Dubh slabs and Sgurr Dubh Mor. Cars were parked at Elgol and the LLC team, wearing the appropriate attire, got onto a rib to be taken to Coruisk. However, once out to sea, there was a mutiny in the ranks: Dave (the boatman from Cornwall) offered to take us to see the seals but Sheena sternly replied ‘we just want to be dropped off, thank you’….at this point there was a ‘NOOOOO!!!!- WE WANT TO SEE THE SEALS!’ chorus from the rest of the LLC, guests and aspirants, and so a detour to see the seals was made.
The day was going well (aside from a small navigation error, but nothing in LLC terms), Bridget was flying up the slabs (how does she do it?) until we came across another team abseiling off the top of the slabs.... to the wrong place. After a few ‘abseil rage’ incidents and a couple of hours wait, we were on our way to Sgurr Dubh Mor then across to Coir’ a Ghrunnda. As we didn’t quite get the line of the descent down Coir’ a Ghrunnda quite right, Heather had to learn some new LLC climbing terminology....such as ‘just slither down’ and ‘glide down on your bottom’ in order to negotiate our way down the slabs. Just a few hours later (well, quite a few hours later), the team rolled back into the hut for yet another set of canapés, olives and risotto
The next day, the weather kept being unkind and Heather kept asking whether any of us had actually ever seen the Cuillin Ridge before. As the rain set in, Michelle and Kirsten insisted on going (running up) to the Fairy Pools and swimming…. while the rest of us wandered up the path (wearing appropriate anti - midge attire, in some cases made out of old stockings) and watched in admiration, wishing we could really have a rest day.
Our co-residents at the hut were a young film crew, who were in total awe of Michelle and Kirsten’s efforts. Look out for the LLC feature in one of the next issues of Summit magazine! There was also absolute admiration of the LLC’s culinary exploits at the hut, including the olives and canapés.
One would expect certain table standards on an LLC meet and a certain level of table manners. Jim’s application for membership to the LLC was seriously jeopardised when he attempted to spoon off some custard and ended up splattering it all over Sheena.
…. he just about rescued his chances for the LLC membership by carrying the rope for the whole of the next day.
Of course, one cannot be seen on Skye without the appropriate attire to climb the In Pin, so that is what the team did (at this point Heather stopped believing the ‘walk in the park’ line). Just for reference and for potential future trips by the rest of the LLC membership - abseiling in the rain is really not conducive to one’s hairstyle.
The following day, Sheena did allow us another semi- rest day, only because we persuaded her that a proper LLC meet does have to include a certain amount of shopping…. and that we could take our handbags with us...so an afternoon shopping was had. The two aspirants (Mark and Jim) tried to put up some resistance to the shopping trip, but, in order not to jeopardise their application for membership of the LLC, they soon gave up any attempt to object and accompanied Heather in her pursuit of Skye pottery.
In true LLC style, we did escort Sheena on her last Munro on Skye (Sgurr a Greadaidh). This time we just took the ‘normal’ route up and down, as the horizontal rain came down just as we started the scramble to the top. In any case Sheena had forgotten the flask of whisky and we had forgotten the tablecloth for lunch.
Five Munros in seven days - not bad for an LLC meet. At this point, we had run out of olives and canapés, so it was time to head back home.
June 2015
