[TomP]

I went on a holiday travelling round Scotland last week. Not really a climbing holiday but managed to sneak a few days in. The country really is full of some of the most diverse and stunning landscapes I have ever seen! I know the beauty is common knowledge but it was a revelation to me!

Spent a day and a half a Torridon, which was great. Thankfully a knowledgeable and strong local turned up to point us in the direction of all the great problems.

I managed to get the first ascent of a great crimpy wall problem. Shitty vid and pic below:

Thought this was quite a bit harder than the other 7cs and 7c+s I did there. Looking forward to going back some time.




Otter Wall by Tom Peckitt, on Flickr

[scooby doo]

Nice work Timmy! That back drop to otter wall looks stunning!

[richieb]

Nice one Tom, good effort. This needed doing. Glad you had a good trip.
 

[andy_e]

Can't stop exploring! Good work.

[carlisle slapper]

Picture 7 by Beastmaker. inc, on Flickr


Picture 8 by Beastmaker. inc, on Flickr


Picture 9 by Beastmaker. inc, on Flickr


Hey Tom, yeah it is an incredible place, needs a guide. For reasons like the above too. That is the 7B/+ version of A fridge too far. The 7C+ sitter is from further down, starting lower means you cant match the jug as theres no room to cut feet and so the snatch upto the sloper is alot harder. Seemed a shame not to climb the whole arete to me, why let a good starting jug get in the way of a hard problem ay?!

Stokes should ideally be climbed on the LHS all the way from sitting too, i.e. no rocking round.

What else did you get on? Phoenix nights is my fave up there.

[TomP]

Ha, I thought that felt pretty easy for 7c+!
To be totally honest I never saw or clocked the low start. The most obvious thing to me was start from the jug. But, as you rightly say, don't let that get in the way of a hard problem! I'll get on it next time.
Only had a day and a bit there so no time (or skin) to do much.
The Scottish Bouldering Guide was limited and the UKC logbook just had very vague descriptions so didn't find much.
Met a local called Lawrence one day and did a quality circuit of easy to mid stuff. When I first arrived I was so overwhelemd I didn't know where to start. Something I did find was Robert the Brute but didn't try it. Looked great.
Have you got any pics of Pheonix nights? Never saw that one.
It really needs a detailed guide as if you are doing a fleeting visit on your own you'll never find anything (except Malc's arete)

[TomP]

Cheers Richie. You have it good up there! I called it Otter Wall as i saw an otter that night sat next to a camp fire (I was next to the fire, the otter was in the water ; )
There must be so much rock to explore in a 10 mile radius - enough for a lifetime.

[andy_e]

Did you get on the wall right of Malc's?

[TomP]

Had a brief try at the end. Skin was shatpanked. Lawrence showed me the beta so keen for it next time.
The proj wall to the left looks well possible. Never tried that either but heard stories of people getting high and snapping of pebbles.

[carlisle slapper]

Hey Tom, Yeah it is pretty ridiculous in terms of rock quantity, loads of incredible font 4-6s

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23645345?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="">Behind The Iron-Bru Curtain</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1146343">beastmaker.co.uk</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Is a vid from my trip last year. Its got Phoenix in (this is the massive arete behind you if your looking at fridge too far)

Escuchon, This is at Shieldaig as you drive in from torridon on the left. Can see it from google street view. Takes hardest bit of the slab from a stand start.

Wheres wallace is right up the hill, below the big crag, you'd need someone to take you or a guide really. you can see the boulder with Bino's from the road

Stokes Croft is on the third tier up the hill (three obvious aretes here, this being the rightmost one
Tears from the compund eye by Beastmaker. inc, on Flickr)
Macloed repeated Stokes with better beta and a canny right knee scum (again the fact that i wanted it to be written up as a LHS problem was only in my own head)

Roof of the Brave ( soft 8Aish) comes through the big roof right of Fridge from the arete on the otherside (would be a traverse if it wasn't closed off) It starts sat on a jug on the opposite arete and tops out where fridge does.

Sitter to Robert the brute is a great 8Bish project.
Sitter to Phoenix is a nice 8A  ish project
slabby Wall Between mission and Malcs 8A ? i've done all the moves on this last visit but it gets alot of sun (when its not raining horizontally), i was trying this direct, i.e. not rocking out of malcs. The prob to the right is Richie's awesome 7B

Mike's 7C  problem at Kishorn and Macloeds 7B end of days are utterly brilliant too
Richieb's photostream on flickr is worth following.

[carlisle slapper]

for some reason my plusses aren't showing, both those projects should have a plus symbol on

[TomP]

Nice one Dan. Good info. Wish I had more time to explore there. I was in Scotland for 8 days and did 1300 miles of driving. Ate some amazing seafood, saw some stunning places and bought some mind blowing whiskies!
I was at Deep Breath on my last day. Did all the moves but it pissed it down and couldn't finish it despite getting through the crux! Well pissed off with that - amazing problem and never done a move with an undercut egytian before. Can't believe that works. At first I thought it was nails for 8a, then you figure it out!
All of those in the vid look ace.....didn't see any of them! So much to go back for.
I did drive past that huge slab and nearly stopped to check it out, not knowing what it was, but we had to mission south so didn't bother. Wish I had now - little did i Know.
Nearly forgot, did that Frantic problem which was cool too and well worth doing (the highball arete to the right of this will need doing by someone with large kahoonas).

[carlisle slapper]

Ha yep sounds like many peoples Scotland trips, including mine! the driving round is all so impressive it becomes worth doing in itself.

Richieb has big cahones, that arete is a 6C+ of his called Vapour Trail. Its on his flickr stream. I did it a few years ago on my own and was pretty scared. You should Check out The Essence too, one of the best in the UK
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=16116.0

Effort on Frantic, The steep wall with a pocket in about 4m left of this is a great higball 7Cish project, i got rained off the top of that one so couldnt finish it, it needs a few pads mind.

Deep Breath is a great problem yeah, it can definitely boast winning one of the deepest dropknee awards in the land. I had the same prob you had in Torridon in Nevis, no contours in the guide meant finding stuff was hard. Still at least there is a guide Richie and Ian are working on a NW area guide i think?

[TomP]

Yeah, the driving (in a slow van) made the trip. Really got to see loads of Scotland.
The pocketed wall looked good; clocked that one too. Thought it didn't look too bad but high.
Lawrence was telling me about The Essence. Didn't realise it was as amazing as that though. Suppoe that should go straight on my Scotland to do list too.
Great to hear about a new guide. Look forward to it!

[SA Chris]

There must be so much rock to explore in a 10 mile radius - enough for a lifetime.

And that just around Torridon! Loads if stuff richie has just scratched the surface of around Applecross too. And the stuff behind Beinn Eighe...

Effort for getting up there. And to CS for his dedication. Looking forward to guide richie.

[andy_e]

Looking forward to guide richie.

 

[Stubbs]

Good work Tom, had an amazing trip up there last year, despite complete failure on the one problem I really wanted to do (Malc's) and a lot of rain.  Such an amazing area, love how wild it feels and how outstandingly beautiful the landscape is.  I know there are tonnes of other places to explore, but it's hard not to just want to go back to Torridon again!

[andy_e]

Anyone keen for a bank holiday weekend trip?