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Can't decide what to buy in the January Sales?
Here are a few of the 50+ reviews submitted to buachaille.com yesterday:
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TR: Sgorr Dhearg & Sgorr Bhan -
 Sgorr Dhearg & Sgorr Bhan (part of Beinn a Bheithir / Hill of the Thunderbolt) Tuesday 27th December 2005 Sgorr Dhearg is one of two mountains (collectively known as Beinn a Bheithir) above Ballachulish near Glencoe. These hills are vastly under-rated and give uninterrupted views in almost every direction. Particularly impressive are the sea-scapes to the west including Mull and Jura. Route Description: Start in Ballachulish village, walk past the Co-op and follow the road for around 500 metres until you come to two left turnings separated by a bridge. Cross the bridge to take the 2nd left turn and walk up past the school for 1km. At this point, look out for a tiny stream on your left hand side. There is a faint track up the right side of this stream which crosses to the other bank after 50 metres. This track (which disappears in places) heads WSW up onto the shoulder of Sgorr Bhan. The route involves some moderate scrambling which would be quite tough in proper winter conditions. The scrambling becomes easier as you near the summit and the final 100m of ascent is a simple ridge walk. From the top of Sgorr Bhan, follow the path for 1km to Sgorr Dhearg and your highest point of the day. Descend 250m to the bealach between Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill and take the obvious line north down towards the forest. This path carries a lot of water and can be particularly boggy or icy depending on conditions. When entering the forest, ensure you are on the left bank of the river. The route is sketchy in places and basically involves threading your way through the least dense part of the forest. Look out for footprints and broken branches to ensure you keep on track. Once emerging from the forest, pick up the forest track and go left. After a short distance, take a right turn and follow the road all the way down to a church approximately 2km from your starting point at Ballachulish. Weather: Quite a cloudy start but towards 11am, the clouds started to disperse giving rise to sunny spells. High wind-chill factor above 600-700m - hot Ribeena was essential! The light north-easterly wind brough extremely clear air - from the top of Sgorr Dhearg we counted over 100 peaks including the Paps of Jura. Also, I was sure I could see the Isle of Tiree, however, others were sceptical. TR by I. Martin |
Christmas Weather Forecast - Friday, December 23, 2005
 ...and it's good news! Friday (23rd December): Inland Scotland should be dry, breezy (W/NW) and bright with cloud broken and above the summits. Western Scotland will see a few light showers from some lowish cloud (2000 - 2500 feet). The North of England will have similar conditions but may be slightly duller. Wales should remain dry and mild but will have persistent cloud. Saturday (Christmas Eve): The wind will drop slightly and shift round to the north which will result in colder but clearer air. In the afternoon, there could be a few brief snow showers above 2500 feet further to the east. The south of scotland should be bright but as you enter into Northern England, the cloud from Friday remains. Similarly, Wales will hang on to it's cloudy conditions for another day. Sunday (Christmas Day): The chart looks pretty good as the high pressure system settles right over the UK. Should be a frosty start with all areas receiving plenty of sun throughout the day. Winds should be fairly light. Definitely worth dragging your family away from the Queen's speech... Monday (Boxing Day): Could be another cracker but be warned, we predict the hills will be heaving with mince-pie eating revellers. Most highland areas in Scotland and Northern England should be dry and bright with light winds. There will probably be a few clouds around in the east and maybe even a few light snow showers in the Cairngorm area. Tuesday (27th December): Early indications are that the high pressure will remain but start falling slightly. Looks like Scotland and Northern England could get the best of the sunshine. We hope you all get out doing something over Christmas! |
Ski-Scotland Snow Alerts -
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Just received this upbeat "Snow Alert" from Ski-Scotland:
Warm greetings from Ski-Scotland and welcome to the first Snow Alert of the 05/06 winter season. To date most of the resorts in Scotland have indeed received the first of their snow falls and are looking ahead to a fun filled winter. All the resorts are up and running this season:It's good to see skiing in Scotland being actively promoted. Whatever your opinion on VisitScotland, their website and advertising campaigns are slick. You can sign up for these Snow Alerts here. All we need now is the snow... |
Elements by Craig McMaster - Thursday, December 22, 2005
 This collection of black and white photography was definitely the pick of my Christmas presents last year. I must have been brain washed in the past by Colin Prior's Hebridean sunsets and Cuillin cloud inversions into thinking that landscape photography was all about colour. I was very much mistaken. The book is split into what McMaster sees as the three 'elements' - Highland, Coastline and Woodland. Be warned, the first two in particular will inspire you to quit your job and go searching for landscapes such as those captured here. It was nice to see the Isle of Arran heavily featured including a shot of Goatfell from an interesting angle. The usual favourites were also well covered such as the Arrochar Cobbler and Glencoe's Buachaille Etive Mor. If you pick up a copy, look out for a shot of the Black Mount and Lochan Na H-Achlaise, Rannoch Moor (also used on the front cover) - virgin snow accentuating the lines of Black Mount with winter clouds rushing above... "Colour is not always necessary. Indeed, the removal of colour from a scene in nature forces us to consider only its fundemental elements and simplicity" - Craig McMaster Reviewed by I. Martin |
We have Fatter Kids than America - Tuesday, December 13, 2005
 According to Government research from the Information Statistics Division (ISD), kids from the UK are now more likely to be fatties than their American counterparts. How can this be?! Taking a closer look, the figures look questionable. For starters, the massive difference between UK and Scottish stats is unbelievable. In the UK, 5% and 15% of children are quoted as being obese and overweight respectively. In Scotland, these figures rise to 19.4% and 34.1%. That means in proportional terms, there are 4 fat Scottish kids for each fat UK kid! In any case, the solution is simple. Get fat kids up more hills. |
Christmas Delivery Info - Monday, December 05, 2005
 It's always strange how many websites don't display important information like the cut-off date for Christmas delivery. Anyway, after contacting all our merchants, here's the definitive list (in chronological order):
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Buachaille.com sponsors MWIS - Friday, December 02, 2005
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We are now sponsoring the Eastern Highlands weather forcast over at MWIS. The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) have been producing very accurate free forecasts for hill-goers since 1997. Current areas covered include the Scottish Highlands (East and West), the Lakes, the Peaks and Snowdonia. These forecasts are the best available online and can often found on notice boards in hostels, hotels and outdoor centres all over the UK. With your continuing support, MWIS' eventual aim is to produce forecasts 7 days a week, cover more areas and update forecasts several times daily.
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