UKC

I'm off to Scotland in the second half of September, where should I go?
So far the plans extend as far as a quick day trip to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, a hit on one of the 7stanes (Glentress as the most novice friendly?) and a few days near Fort William. I am looking for variety, good rock upto Hvs-ish etc.

Any must visit destinations?

Any suggestions for a nice route up a sea stack that isn't a massive logistical faff would be much appreciated and a suggestion for the nicest way up Ben Nevis, any more worthwhile alternatives to Tower Ridge?

Thanks

In reply to Reach>Talent:

It you are near Edinburgh, as you suggest, then the souter is about as easy as any sea-stack logistically. The various Old Men are a good bit further north.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Crikey! That's like being dropped in a sweet shop and then being asked "what do you want?"

So much is weather dependent so you need to be reasonably flexible - you can often get good weather in the east when it's bad in the west and vice-versa.

Destinations: Ardnamurchan; Poolewe & Gairloch; Skye; Cairngorms.

In reply to Bob:

Thanks, I know what you mean:
My girlfriend has never been to Scotland and my experience is limited to 1 night each in Glasgow + Edinburgh, a few days biking at Innerleithin, and 2 trips to Fort William (one for the 2006 mtb WC and once for a winter climbing trip). Hence a sudden rush of "what can we squeeze into 2 weeks?"

In reply to Bob:

I prefer Mull (particularly the quieter SW coast) to Ardnamurchan and would put it on anyone's hit list if there weather is anything like. Glen Affric is pretty lovely as well - for a remote option, I'd go for Knoydart (Sgurr na Ciche rather than Ladhar Bheinn).

We'll shortly be up around there and I can't wait.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Unfortunately sea stacks and lack of logistical faff don't go together (by definition!). For the Souter all you need is the tides to be right (doable at low tide) but it doesn't compare with the likes of The Old Man of Stoer which is probably your best bet for classic / not too difficult / not too serious / not too bad logistically.

Observatory Ridge on the Ben is a good one if you want more of a climb as opposed to a scramble (which is what Tower basically is). Much less busy too.

In reply to Reach>Talent:
The North West coast, from Ullapool up to Durness, is generally fantastic. Not the same density of developed rock that you get in, say, Glencoe, but some worthwhile crags, some amazing hills and fantastic scenery. It's basically a totally magical area.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

If you are looking at doing some mountain biking then getting both volumes of Scotland The Wild Trails from Vertebrate publishing is worthwhile. There's a variety of routes in them though Vol 1 has more easier routes if you or your girlfriend aren't up to technical rocky descents, http://bobwightman.co.uk/bike/slideshow.php?s=gleneinich is typical of the easier routes.

There's also a couple of small guides to Scottish trails published by http://www.pocketmountains.com/ which have a mixture of road and trail rides.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Sometimes the weather can be awful in the West and great in the East. If you want some rock climbing then the Aberdeen sea cliffs, Glen Clova and The Pass of Ballater could well be in condition. I have often found Craig y Barns (Dunkeld) to be in a rain shadow. Nice cragging if its dry. Dunkeld is a lovely village with some nice food shops and pubs and a splendid old cathderal. Mixes it up a bit for you maybe.
Steve