Ben Nevis

July 31st 2012
Attendance:
Anthony Griffin
Anne Griffin
Orla Griffin
Sorcha Griffin

Ben Nevis

Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis,  is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Standing at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) above sea level, it is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William.
The mountain is a popular destination attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year, around three-quarters of which use the Pony Path from Glen Nevis.  The 700-metre (2,300 ft) high cliffs of the north face are among the highest cliffs in the United Kingdom, providing classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties for climbers and mountaineers.

We arrived in Fort William on July 30th 2012, having spent a lovely couple of days in Edinburgh. We  had booked hostel accomodation and were pleasently surprised with the Smiddy Bunkhouse at the Snowgoose Mountain Centre located about 5km outside Fort William. Great place.

We started our climb of Ben Nevis on Tuesday July 31st 2012 at approx. 10am. We were advised to park at the Ben Nevis Inn. We got one of the last car parking spaces here and set off on our climb.
The weather was absolutely fantastic. We chose the best day of the week for our climb - a clear blue sky and temperature of approx. 20 deg celsius. In Scotland!!!!!

It took us about one and a half hours to reach the lake. It's really beautiful at this point and we took a nice break here.

The mountain isn't very steep at any point but we found the climb very long. It took us four and a half hours to reach the summit. The last hour of this was fairly difficult because we were getting pretty tired. However, we did it, reaching the summit at around 2pm. The views were really stunning all the way up and were amazing from the top. The temperature dropped at the top and there was unmelted snow in parts!!

We ate most of our food and took a good rest at the summit. It was a bit cold though for hanging around for too long. We started the descent feeling elated and refreshed.

The descent went well at first and we reached the lake fairly easily. After this however, we all seemed to get very tired and our knees were beginning to ache. The large stone steps and loose shale made it difficult on the feet and slowed us down. Breaks became more frequent. We were really glad to see the Ben Nevis Inn three and a half hours later.

 

Orla and Sorcha had gone ahead of us on the descent and held a table at the Ben Nevis Inn. We had some much needed refreshments. Lovely cold beer / local ale and great food. What a great day!!

Mount Brandon

Attendance: Anthony Griffin
Anne Griffin
Cian Griffin
Orla Griffin
Sorcha Griffin

Situated on the northern edge of the Dingle Peninsula, Brandon is the second
highest mountain in Ireland. According to legend St Brendan lived on or near the
summit for a time, and the mountain is named for him. The remains of a sixth
century cell near the summit suggests some truth in the legend. On a
clear day the summit commands spectacular views right across the west coast, but
sitting on the edge of the Atlantic coast, clear days are very few and far
between. There are three summits, the main one at 952m, Coimin na gCnamh at 891,
and Brandon Peak at 840. There are several main routes up the mountain, two of
them very well travelled. The main tourist route would be from the West
from An Baile Breac (Ballybrack). This takes the climber up a gentle slope to
the summit and is little more than a nice walk, although sometimes high wind
coming up off the Atlantic can cause problems.The serious hiker might
approach from the North, leaving the Dingle Way and walking over the full ridge,
starting with Piaras Mor (748m). I have never walked this route so cannot

comment on it.For me the best route is from the East. Beginning inthe
village of Cloghan, or if you prefer there is a car park further up at An
Fhaiche. This route includes quite a steep incline involving some hands and
knees scrambling to reach the top and is not recommended for casual walkers. If
you continue the route to take in Brandon Peak it involves walking along the
knife-edge Ridge, with quite impressive drops away on both sides.

Mount Brandon