UKC

Hi All, 

My lad for his birthday has requested we cross the border to go and see some 'proper maintains' , he loves his wild camping and scrambling although I do restrict this to where I feel comfortable... he's done a lot of the usual popular English ridges and easy grade one stuff as a reference however part of his 4-5 day scotland trip must include... 

Ben nevis... preferably via CMD and possible wild camp on /on the way back down, 

Some wild camps? 

Sounds quite easy but apart from nevis area in winter my 'walking / wild camping' experience of Scotland is limited... anytime I have been up its generally been for winter fun and even that has been limited! 

We will be aiming for June / July and subject to the terrible weather we will be trying to make the most of it, for any scrambling I will always have a rope and some gear touch, wood I have never needed and don't really intend on taking him on anything where this will be needed... however I appreciate this is subjective! 

I am just looking for some good ideas / tie ins for either spectacular single day walks, or multiple days suitable with stunning wild camp spots. 

I think we will have to do a day on stob dearg as it would be rude not to but we won't be looking at the ridge route for this... 

Just after suggestions on some good spots for those who have spent a bit more time on that side of the wall than me 😀

Foot note - he is far fitter than me in many ways however on multiple days I think I will gradually taper it off as I suspect crag camp food and bad nights sleep will have its impact! 

Many thanks 

Andy 

Have a look at Arran sounds ideal. Sannox is nice for wild camp.

Arran is a great shout, but can be pretty midge-y (but everywhere else is too, so just be prepared: head nets, repellant - I swear by smidge - long clothes etc)

The Cairngorms are also a good option - lots of bothys that are about a day's walk to get to, and plenty of scope for linking them together if you fancied being out for a few days. 

At the end of the day really anywhere has loads of potential! The best bet may be to chase the good weather!

Have a look at the walks section on the WalkHighlands site. Lots of info on all the walks.

Dave

I would treat Ben Nevis as a separate objective, get it out of his system so that he can move on to better things, like the Cairngorms or Torridon/Fisherfield/Assynt etc.

Here's an account of a recent 2 night trip that I had in the Cairngorms 

https://wildaboutwalking.wordpress.com/highlands/ben-macdui-and-the-lairig-...

I would leave Arran out unless you have a sea kayak. The ferry service could be non existent this summer.

"June/July"

Go for early June if you can, less midges, and in my experience better weather.

Also on the subject of midges, I have found them to be far worse in the west than in the Cairngorms.

??? I mean sure it's busy but as long as one books beforehand it's absolutely fine

Especially if you leave the car and use buses/taxis/hitching

And the new ferry has just passed it's sea trials!

I'm aiming on getting these bleedin' Munros completed in 5 years or whatever (a lifetime's undertaking) but I've still never been up Ben Nevis.

Go for the weather as suggested above but Blaven?

By coincidence, I will have Blaven on my radar in June.

We're going to Arran in March. I wonder if it will be available by then. Part of the attraction of going to the islands is the Calmac ferry. Got stuffed last year by the floods and landslides in October that stopped us getting even to Oban.

How about rhyolite romp into dinner time buttress on Aonach Dubh in Glen Coe. Both easy grade 1 scrambles with the former being more of an exposed walk/explore. I would suggest to do it in the dry though wrt to rhyolite romp especially with a 12yr old as a slip would have serious consequences. You would be the judge of competency there. Following that a lovely wander up to SCNL and BNB or a transverse across the top of the crags of aonach dubh towards SCNB. 
 

Horns of alligin up in torridon would also be an awesome day. 
 

Arran would be a fun trip and a transverse of the ridges there would be good. Some difficulties can be bypassed, some might be awkward depending on the young one’s experience etc. 

No.

Arran ferry service is pretty awful at the moment but Caledonian Isles is getting a big fix up ready for easter and the summer season.

The new ferry will bring further turmoil as it doesn't fit Ardrossan and Troon has no direct rail link and crap parking. Not to mention further away but I think Peel ports is getting their way which will be disastrous.

Further problems with the unions stopping the ferry for the least little thing but Pentlands ferries proving time again that they can run no problem.

There are a lot of different issues some very long term that have led to this situation. It won't resolve with a new ferry but it is what it is and we can still get there and back!

Might Curved Ridge in GlenCoe or Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis be ideal? 

They both give that "really climbing a mountain" feel from what I remember >30years ago!

I recently saw a film about a v elderly woman climbing Suilven.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edie_(film) The film made that look amazing -an isolated, remote peak with a long approach. Might be the ideal way to combine with wild camping.

What a brilliant thing to want to do for his birthday, good on the lad!

Easy scrambles and wild camping, there's any number of options. If you/he are set on Ben Nevis and you only have a few days then you might as well limit the trip to that general area.

Check out UKH Route Cards for ideas:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/find.php

A few to get you started:

Ben N and CMD Arete, clearly the way to do The Ben. Not really a great one for a camp half way and it's a big chunk of mountain to carry overnight gear on. You could I suppose camp near the Allt a' Mhuilinn but prob better doing it as a lightly laden day trip. https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=47

Ring of Steall, which is a brilliant big day with some quite exciting exposure but limited hands-on difficulty, and combines well with a camp in the glen https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=930

Beinn a' Bheithir via 'Schoolhouse Ridge' https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=819

Buachaille Etive Mor - the classic non-scrambling round https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=712

Beinn a' Chrulaiste via the Pink Rib is one of the best kid-friendly scrambles around - shame it's not longer https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1262

And for something a bit different and more of an 'expedition', you could take the train to Corrour, wild camp near Loch Ossian or stay in the Youth Hostel there, and go up one or other of the hills around the loch. Beinn na Lap is the obvious straightforward choice. I'm not suggesting you do the full distance in this route, unless you want to make that the basis of your whole trip, but it points you to the right area at least: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1467

A couple of things:

At risk of teaching you to suck eggs, it's worth remembering that the terrain, distance, ascent, remoteness, and possibly weather all tend to be a big step up from standard Lake District days. He might be fitter than you in a racing-up-hills sort of way but you've already hit the nail on the head - kids do tend to have finite stamina, something to bear in mind on something like the CMD route. Probably also best, as I think you've alluded, to have a couple of shorter days in reserve (Pink Rib is a good one) in case energy flags through the trip.

Likewise with the scrambling: I won't say don't bring a rope, it's a personal choice. But on low grade 'hillwalkers' scrambles with kids, if you're thinking about using a rope then it's arguable that you  shouldn't be there with them. The routes mentioned above are all technically straightforward but not always low-consequence (a slip from the wrong bit of the Ring of Steall could be serious for example) so only you on the day are going to know if it's wise to press on or not. I would save any scrambling with kids for a calm, dry day.  https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/series/children/how_to_scramble_...

And a final thought, and sorry for getting preachy: it's probably best if folk aren't too specific about good camping spots, for obvious reasons. Just check out the map and you'll spot loads of possibilities. 

+1 for the Ring of Steall.

I don't see anywhere in the thread how comfortable you are shortroping your son in terrain where you'd feel obligated to protect him against the consequences of a slip. How quickly you can move like this and how easy it is for you to do so safely may depend a lot on your son's weight - if he's a skinny waif and you are a [cough] solid gentleman, you might be able to easily hold any slip without much need start looping the rope over the terrain, but if he is heavier and you lighter, short roping might be a more tricky and time-consuming way to cover distance...

I note that nobody else suggested the Anoach Eagach or Liathach ridge (maybe the latter is too far away to drive). Not sure whether this means they are too technical and committing for your son's level or not but I think of both of them as outstanding days out.

Also, if travelling a bit further, the Cuillin in Skye has any number of day walks/scrambles and some of the most impressive mountain scenery in the UK. Though the weather in the Cuillin does tend to be worse than many other places on average. The 5 boot diffculty routes on Walk Highlands for the Cuillin can take you into very tricky terrain but if you stick to 4 boot difficulty ones, there is still plenty of steep, exposed terrain where you might still want to use a rope to guard against a slip and use your hands on the terrain from time to time but you won't suddenly be looking up a rock climb and thinking "the route goes _where_ now?!"

In general terms, there can be really nice places to wild camp at the uphill ends of lochs in the highlands. The geography of gravel and sediment being laid down over over the millennia as waters entered the loch tends to mean the area is flat, grassy and devoid of big rocks. (very generally!)

Edit: And in the sucking eggs basket, I'd say, remember that kids generally function best when eating smaller quantities but more frequently than adults when on the hill.

Arran is wonderful - one of my favourite parts of Scotland, wild camping in Glen Rosa below Cir Mhor feels wonderfully wild, and the walk up to Cir Mhor itself is ace!

Torridon is worth a poke around too. You could camp in Corrie Mhic Fhearchair below the triple buttress - which is such a good spot. Also, Diabeg Peninsula is an absolutely stunning place - I could scarcely believe the shear beauty of it when I first visited - and a day walking around here is a nice shorter day (but perhaps don't camp, the residents don't seem particularly psyched on folk camping there, although this is speaking from the perspective of uni students, and whilst we always camp quietly and responsibly, it is understandable that folk might take more of an issue to us pitching up than a father and son).

If I were you - I'd plans some stuff out East as often the weather here is dry when the west is a wash out. A lovely walk is up to Ben Macdui - it'sl long(ish) but never steep and on good paths. If you want scramble - you can head up Fiacail ridge. This is ace as it is very much 'choose your own adventure' and can be anything from a spectacular walk to grade 2ish, with most lines being around grade 1. You could drop down and camp by Loch Etchecan which is one of my favourite places in the highlands. There is also Glen Feshie, a wonderful and wild glen with a fantastic bothy. 
 

Have an amazing trip!

Good on your son, mine is 9 and can hopefully sustain interest in the hills.

from experience have three or four plans (I tend to broadly aim for something west, something north of the great glen, something central highlands and something east/cairngorms) and much closer to the time (ie. 48 hours) finalise your plans.  I’ve found that my son (9) thoroughly enjoys an overnight mountain trip, even if we end up at a campsite, but it the weather is miserable it can be a bit of a slog, noting your son is a fair bit older.

the weather can be really different from east to west so worth being flexible to try to increase the chances of having a rain free (ish) day/night, or even better cloud free! 

whatever you do I hope you have a fantastic time and it’s a great experience for your son. 

The Ring of Steall is quite a big day (about the same as the Ben via the CMD in distance and ascent), and lacks straightforward escape routes on the Glen Nevis side. Some shorter options are to just do Sgurr an Iubhair and the Devil's ridge to Sgurr a' Mhaim, or the N ridge of Stob Ban, or the combination of these two ( a good round that does not get done much as it is inefficient for Munro bagging purposes). 

A slightly shorter option for the Ben would be to leave out CMD and do the easier (Grade 1) version of Ledge Route. 

Hi All, 

Apologies I'm now going to comb through all the ideas! Been away with work and a little manic! 

Andy