[Nigel]

Hi guys / gals,

I’m off for my annual Scotland jolly with the lady in early June, the current rough plan is to spend a week travelling up through the Outer Hebrides from Barra to Lewis, returning to the mainland at Ullapool, then another week or so mooching about the West coast. Climbing will be on the back burner on the islands, but I wouldn’t mind doing a bit here and there on the mainland. I’ve not spent any time up here so any advice would be appreciated.

Ideas at the moment are Reiff, Ardmair, the Gairloch outcrops, and the Torridon outcrops. We plan to drive through all these areas but I’m just wondering which ones will be worth spending most time at. The ideal places would be somewhere with good hillwalking, secluded beaches, smart places to park the van, suave pubs, and reasonably convenient crags with VS-ish routes for her and stuff up to E6 for me, ideally where I can ab for the gear if needs be. I’m also aware that some of these areas have bouldering, any knowledge on this would be appreciated too.

I realise that all of the above are likely to fit the bill, the reason I ask is that a bit of knowledge goes a long way. It all looks amazing in the Gary Latter guide, but then so did Staffin Slip Buttress on Skye and that was a filthy nightmare with a bramble walk in!

Really I would like to hear your experiences,

Cheers. 

[slackline]

Chris will be along shortly with detailed advice, but Applecross would tick many of these boxes.  Not sure about spots for pulling up in the camper, but the pub has great nosh...

[iain]

I've not spent a huge amount of up that way but:

Reiff - utterly amazing but isolated, potentially long walk-ins as the better stuff is further away and it's open to every bit of weather coming into the west coast. Massive grade spread, single pitch and easily abbed to retrieve gear. Reiff in the woods, http://www.scottishclimbs.com/wiki/Reiff_in_the_Woods is good for a visit while passing. Good beaches nearby, even one at the bottom of a campsite (although the site itself is expensive and no facilities apart from running water when I was last there)

Gairloch crags - good quality from my limited (and bolt orientated) experience but not necessarily wide grade spread at the same crag. Some of the single pitch trad descents near the bolted stuff (eg.around goat crag) have bolted anchors. Some very boggy approaches and potential midge hell, (the Loch Maree crags were particularly nightmare inducing.) Spied some nice looking beaches from a distance and it's a gorgeous part of the coast.

In terms of hills it's such a beautiful part of the world it doesn't really matter where you are.


However, bad slack--line, I'm hankering for fish and chips now 

[SA Chris]

AArgh! Info overload!

http://www.stonecountry.co.uk/html/hebrides.html

Might be useful for starters. For a trip like yours the Latter Guides are pretty much ideal.

For June you could do with midge proofing your van I bought some of this stuff - http://www.midgie.net/

The large size is big enough to close in the van door so it covers the window, which you can then open to allow air in. Some old fridge magnets seal it long the bottom.

[SA Chris]

OK,

Nigel, top trip you have planned there, basically the route you will be taking will tick all the boxes you are after. I don't know much about Barra, S Uist and Benbecula but if you just look on google maps you will find no end of nice beaches, and places to park the van. In that download for the hebrides I linked to previously there is some info on bouldering on Barra that looks good.

On N Uist there is a nice place to park up at Hosta beach. If you are travelling up the west side of the island, turn left through a gate opposite the signpost to the right for Hosta. Take the left fork for a high spot overlooking the beach, or a right fork for a low spot with a bench. If you are going to swim, Hosta has a notorious rip that runs from N to south across the bay. It has claimed lives! There is a nicer safe beach just to the north. If you have any fishing, surf or snorkelling gear I would recommend throwing it in.

Don't know much about Harris, apart from the beach at Scarista (I think) is huge and beautiful. There is some bouldering at Clisham pass too. Once you are on Lewis there is loads of good climbing on the Uig seacliffs - mostly single pitch, with some bigger stuff at Screaming Geo (I think) which you might well do to avoid. I recall Flannan Crack being a nice VS, and there being some harder stuff around it. There is a nice campsite where you can park up at Cnip (no idea of pronounciation) and some good bouldering close by. Definitely go check out the stone circles at Callanish, really nice at sunset or dawn. That's all the climbing we did on Lewis, but the Latter Guide has loads more, and some good looking bouldering too.

Once you have got over from Stornaway (not much going for it, but a couple of OK restaurants) to Ullapool (loads of good fish restaurants and pubs) it's worth doubling back and heading to to Ardmair - good routes on the crag, lovely bouldering spot on the beach, and the best skimming stones in the world ever. And get some hill walking in esp get up Stac Pollaidh either as a walk, or by one of the various routes. Get to Reiff as well, tons of great single pitch routes, highballs, micro routes, bouldering.

Will cover the route back south tomorrow.

Oh and get a pair of wellies, lots of routes have boggy approaches.

[Fiend]

Top plan there Goldenballs.

I vote for Ardmair (more jamming cracks than Reiff iirc, steady approach), Loch Tollaidh @ Gairloch (very easy approach, possibly damp), and Torridon outcrops (needs a bloody chairlift but worth it). All awesome and all particularly good for having mid-grade and hard routes at the same crag with easy abseiling. That would give you a good variety of rock including some of the best in the UK.

Free campsite at Torridon to stick yer van, showers and toilets. The hotel/bar restaurant opposite the bay a couple of miles south was nice. Oh and the hotel/pub at the south end of the Gairloch bay is good too. Lovely part of the world.

Send her off hillwalking/basking for a couple of days and I'll belay you on some E6s, there's an E7 7a at Loch Tollaidh that could do with more attention I'm sure...

[SA Chris]

.......and before we leave the islands, don't count on anything being open on a Sunday, esp on Lewis and Harris. Not even a filling station.

Reiff - old campsite has closed, but there are many options of places to park up, just do not park up overnight at Reiff itself, as the locals do not look kindly on it. Most pubs are happy for you to park up outside for the night if you are going to have a meal and a few beers with them.

Are you planning on heading up any further than Reiff? If so, make the efort to get up to Sheigra. Lots of class routes right through the grades and some glorious beaches. N Wall of First Geo has your name written al over it - loads of long single pitch routes in E4 - E7 range on perfect Gneiss. You can go there on the scenic route from Reiff via Lochinver (and even make a detour to bag the Old Man of Stoer) and then head back via the main road, which is only slightly less scenic. Good parking up spot is at Knockan Crag Visitor's Centre, just N of the Reiff turnoff. toulet open 24 hours, and a bit of a geology walk you can do while waiting for the am coffee to do it's work .

Once you have turned off the A835 you can stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge (a glacial slot gorge) which i quite cool to see, and think how it miust have looked when it froze up last winter (for the first time in decades).

Next stop would be the Gruinard Bay Crags (loads to choose from) and then on to the next chapter - Gairloch.

[SA Chris]

I'll belay you on some E6s, there's an E7 7a at Loch Tollaidh that could do with more attention I'm sure...

Conqustador? Looks amazing and utterly nails 7a boulder prob off the ground.

[SA Chris]

Ni(g)el, are you actually reading any of this, or am I just wittering on aimlessly?

Oh yes, on N Uist there is a smokehouse that does outstanding (but pretty pricey) smoked stuff http://www.hebrideansmokehouse.com/

and a fresh fish van you might see driving about that sells excellent fresh fish, including excellent hand dived scallops.

[Nigel]

Alright chaps, yes I've just caught up with this thread! Apologies but I forgot I asked about this after I hurt my ankle, didn't look at UKB for a bit, and it got lost in a sea of unread topics! Thanks a bunch for the info Chris and Fiend, some well deserved bon Karma is coming your way. The beta on the smokehouse and the fresh fish van is just as, if not more, important than the climbing beta - we had some great hand dived scallops from the Seatrek team at Aird Uig on Lewis last year, absolutely fantastic.

Funny you should mention Screaming Geo as somewhere to avoid, we did Prozac Link last year which was my girlfriend's first multipitch (she seconded it all). Bit of a baptism of fire and part of the reason that I asked about logistically easier stuff! Conquistador would interest me but it will depend on the ankle and if it looks any good when we get there.

[Johnny Brown]

we did Prozac Link last year which was my girlfriend's first multipitch

You never mentioned that. Jesus, what a tragedy. So young, and now with nothing to look forward to. For the rest of her life, trad multipitch is going to be one long disappointment.

[Nigel]

On the contrary, for her its: "Trad multipitch?"

Tick.

[SA Chris]

No worries. Will need a gudebook to remember best order for doing thinks travelling south through gruinard bay etc.

[richieb]

Hi Nigel, some good stuff there from the others so I will try not to repeat too much.

One other spot I would recommend is Achmelvich near Lochinver,  about an hour north of Ullapool. Not on your planned route but could be worth the detour.  Awesome beaches, nice campsite with chippy and a 10 minute walk to a crag called 'Clean Cut' which has a stunning route Julian Lines did a few years ago called 'Flawless', he described it as the 'Masters Edge of Scotland'. Probably the best line I've seen up here so far. Its a sea cliff but an easy scramble down to the base.
 
There is an amazing pie shop in Lochinver too.

As fiend says, Loch Tollaidh near Gairloch is a good cragging spot, quality VS's alongside quality e6's.
Hope you get the weather and have a great trip.
 

[tc]

Make time to climb on Barra if you are island hopping. All the fun of the Southern Barra Islands sea cliffs without the expense of the little boat and without being marooned for a week. Not as good as Pabbay, Mingulay or Berneray but still superb climbing. Camp on the far side of the Vatersay causeway.
tc

[Johnny Brown]

Where are the crags tc? Nowt in the Latter guide...

The camping spot on Vatersay is about as nice as anywhere I've been. Its not the far side of the causeway though, but by the village hall between the beaches.

[Nigel]

I was just about to ask that myself! Come on TC, spill some beans, I know you're the font of all knowledge for this area. I've seen a pics of an awesome deep water bouldering arch on Barra on a sea kayaking website, I'll try and find that and put it up.

Richieb, that has definately piqued my interest! Is there anymore you can tell me about this route, do any pictures exist? Will Julian's FA description be online anywhere - Scottishclimbs maybe? If I'm swayed enough I could well get up there, it sounds great.

[SA Chris]

If that's the route I've seen on Flickr somewhere (Ian Taylor's pics?) it looks stunning indeed. Is there anything there for mortals richie?

[Nigel]

Alright Chris, any chance of a link to pics? I've had a look on Flickr for "Ian Taylors" but its a bit of a task!

[SA Chris]

Will see what I can find

[tc]

There's no guide available yet but the following info should get you there:
The crags form a continuous line from the stream of Glen Bretadale to the headland of Rubha na Doirlinn on the west coast of the island. Most of the obvious lines in this area have now been done -- seek and send! Steve Crowe and others (Colin Moody?) have also explored the coastline south of the canyon where the Bretadale stream drops into the sea.
Adam: I don't know where you camped but we drove over the causeway onto Vatersay, turned right and camped near the old cottage, below the track that leads down to the Traigh Bharlais beach (more climbing and bouldering here). And very nice it was too.
 

[Nigel]

Brilliant. Cheers TC, you're a star. I'll be sure to report back if I get on these crags.

Chris, thanks in advance.

I love UKB. 

[SA Chris]

It was Richie's (hope you don't mind me taking the liberty!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richiebetts/3466031746/#secret07285a846a-w500-h375

Here's Ian Taylor's anyway to get you psyched

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7538425@N05/

[dave]

that looks well braun.

[Johnny Brown]

The crags form a continuous line from the stream of Glen Bretadale to the headland of Rubha na Doirlinn on the west coast of the island.

Ah, obvious now I look at the map.

I don't know where you camped but we drove over the causeway onto Vatersay, turned right and camped near the old cottage, below the track that leads down to the Traigh Bharlais beach

Ah, yes, we drove down there for a look but it was exposed and stank of fish. We camped here (you can just see the tent on the dunes on the left), there is a toilet, tap and bins at the village hall too (right of the parked car).



edit: yowzers, nice vid! Flawless looks amazing!