Members: John Evans, David Lygate, David Whittingham. Guest: Shaun Thompson.

Sun, snow, centenary climbs and car catastrophes.

Better late than never, here is the meet report for the Roybridge meet in 2003; with my apologies for the delay to the small but perfectly formed team who honoured me with their company. Several potential participants cried off from this meet, claiming that the weather in Scotland in late winter/early spring might be slightly iffy! They missed a wonderful weekend of blue skies, warm sun and no midges. Not much good maybe for ice climbing but there are other things to do north of the border.

But to start at the beginning. The four of us left Manchester on Friday evening in my car. The drive north was uneventful, apart from the car making very peculiar noises going over Beattock. These were soon fixed by a quick wipe with an oily rag from an AA man, and we continued to Roybridge hostel without further delay, except for being stopped by the police in Fort William for not speeding; I think they were bored and just wanted someone to talk to.

We were up bright and early on Saturday. Well the weather was bright and we were early-ish.

When in Scotland climb Ben Nevis seems to be a rule so off we plodded up the Allt a Mhuilinn. The north face of the Ben looked impressive, as always, with a mixture of black rock and white snow. Less attractive was the continuous tinkle and thump of the ice and snow falling off. As I said at the start, blue skies and warm sun. Rather than walk below all the avalanche paths we turned right and scrambled to the start of Castle Ridge to find warm dry rock and no wind. More scrambling took us onward and upward towards the top of Carn Dearg with many exclamations of joy at the conditions and situation.

For the non-climbers who fancy a go at this delightful scramble in most impressive surroundings a small word of caution. There is one chimney pitch which although only Mod, or perhaps Diff on a cold windy day, feels very "out there" and a rope and a couple of slings may offer considerable reassurance. (Under winter conditions the ridge is a good grade III outing.)

Anyway, back to the day. We crunched up snowfields to the summit of Carn Dearg and onward to the summit of Ben Nevis. Black hills, white snow, blue skies, sparkling lochs, views don't get much better than this, and it was definitely a day not to be wasted. So on we went, onward downward and upward over the Carn Mor Dearg arête, Carn Mor Dearg and Carn Dearg Meadhonach and completing the circuit down the ridge and hillside back to the Allt a Mhuillin before dark. The entire party agreed that this had been an exceptional and memorable day and felt very superior to those who cried off from the meet.

The finishing touch came back at the hostel after haggis and chips in Fort William. Examination of the guidebook revealed that it was 100 years to the very day since the first ascent of Castle Ridge, also by a party of four.

Sunday morning dawned fine again and we decided to go for more of the same, but a shorter day.

Glen Coe was conveniently on the way home so it was agreed to ascend Buchaille Etive Mor by Curving Ridge. Have you ever noticed how some of the best days on the hill make the shortest stories? No drama or danger, just another wonderful day out and a warm glow afterwards. Thus it was. Up the ridge, a slight detour to take in the Crowberry Tower then up over snow to the summit and down by Coire na Tuilach

The drive home was uneventful, until the peculiar noises reappeared and my car ground to a halt in the Lake District. The noises were diagnosed as terminal by the AA this time, and we were eventually relayed home to Manchester. But these mere mechanical mishaps could not take the edge off what we all agreed was a delightful and memorable weekend.

The accommodation is situated 2 miles east of Roybridge on the A86 opposite the Glen Spean Lodge Hotel. (grid ref. 301811, OS sheet 41). The McofS publication "Scottish clubs' huts" describes the accommodation as, "Warm, comfortable, friendly country hostel in converted barn, set in stunning scenery near Roybridge. Ideal location for walking and climbing (Creag Meagaidh, Ben Nevis), canoeing and mountain biking." There are also local opportunities for ski touring and alpine skiing at Aviemore or Fort William, which are both quite close (less than 1 Hour drive away).

Allt Cruinnichidh, an incredible venue with more than enough winter activities within the surrounding area. The options are almost endless & it would be impossible to fit them all into a single weekend. Additionally, with a local pub there is the added opportunity of whisky sampling in the evenings. So to claim your very limited place see the Meet Leader on Thursday nights at the pub meet & pay the token fee of £16 for your accommodation.