Sometimes we come across a picture that captures the atmosphere of Wester Ross better than any words can convey. Here’s one of them. Thanks to our good friend Jim Buchanan who runs Wild West Topos for the image.

The picture looks south east across part of the Fisherfield Wilderness over to Torridon in the background.

Tags: torridon

go further has had one of its busiest summer seasons so far and here is a selection of some of our best shots from recent trips.


In May Zoe and friends (pictured below) took a break from their running holiday to tackle a tough traverse of Ben More Assynt and Conival in the Inchnadamph area. This route starts at Inchnadamph and reaches Conival via the beautiful and narrow Gleann Dubh. From Conival there is a rough ridge walk (pictured here) to Ben More. From there we took the exciting south ridge that includes some exposed scrambling before dropping down to the spectacular Dubh Loch Mor.





We rested by Dubh Loch Mor for a long spell before tackling the long walk back to Inchnadamph. This long traverse is one of the most challenging in the area but variety and complexity of the scenery makes the long day worthwhile. This picture shows the burn running from Dubh Loch Mor with the imposing South Ridge of Ben More Assynt behind.



As we keep finding out, some of the best mountain days in the North West are to be found on the ‘Corbett’ tops - those mountains between 2,500 and 3,000 feet in height. Several are to be found on the fabulous Coigach Peninsula just north of Ullapool. In May, we had several long spells of bright and cool weather and one of those coincided with this visit to one of the most accessible of Coigach’s mountains - Cul Mor. This picture is taken from the summit ridge looking south west to one of the most visited mountains in the North West - Stac Pollaidh.



This picture is also taken from the north west top of Cul Mor looking north towards Suilven - one of the most spectacular and remote of all Scotlands ‘Corbett’ tops.


Despite some brilliant weather in May and June, we did see some very late snow and one of those flurries coincided with a complete traverse of An Teallach by Jill and friends (pictured).


Here, two of our group can be seen nearing the end of the pinnacled ridge a short distance before one of the main Munro tops which was in cloud.


The day started brightly but became overcast as the party reached the main ridge where we took this stunning picture of the full ridge.

Tags: Ben More Assynt, An Teallach, Conival, Coigach, Assynt, Suilven, Stac Pollaidh, Ullapool

Here are a few more pictures from Phil Packer’s El Capitan ascent.

Paul leading the route on the first day:



Phil Packer ascending the first part of the route.

Tags: paul tattersall, el capitan, phil packer

Go Further’s Paul Tattersall is currently on the Phil Packer expedition trip to El Capitan. After being injured in Iraq Phil is campaigning to raise £1 million for injured service personnell and the wider disabled community. The trip is being covered by ITN and a host of other news sources in the UK and US. You can follow Phil’s updates on Twitter here.

The team is making steady progress on the 1800ft route with Paul, Andy Kirkpatrick and Ian Parnell making up the climbing team. Latest news is that they have completed the ninth pitch and are aiming to settle down for another night on the route.

The picture below shows Paul (right) and the team preparing for another pitch earlier today. More pictures soon.

Tags: paul tattersall, el capitan, phil packer

Go Further’s Paul and Angela (left) organised a unique triathlon last Saturday at the west end of Loch Maree at Tollie Farm between Gairloch and Poolewe. The event combined a gruelling 10km hill run with a 22km bike ride. After that, all the entrants had to complete at least one roped climb at Creag Nan Luch - one of Scotland’s best sport climbing venues. Combined personal times for the run and cycle were reduced depending on the hardest grade climbed by the competitor in under 5 minutes.


Local and not-so-local climbers, runners and cyclists turned out to compete or to enjoy the atmosphere at the crag. Although the wet conditions the night before didn’t make it perfect for climbing, at least there was no rain and the craic was awesome.


The difficult run from Tollaidh to Slattadale was made even more strenuous by the overnight rain. The route climbs around 250m over a very rough and rocky path before descending to the banks of Loch Maree and the Slattadale Forest.




First back by some margin was Graham Bee (pictured left) who finished the run and cycle with a time of 1 hour 27 minutes. The cycle route climbs out of Slattadale before following the River Kerry back to Gairloch. From here, there are two strength-sapping hills before the road drops steeply down back to Tollaidh. Unfortunately, the wind was head on for most of the route.







Also at the head of the pack at the end of the cycle were Paul Tattersall, Steve Hammond, Alf Chammings (pictured left), and Ray Wilby (pictured finishing the cycle leg, below).










After the cycle the focus then shifted to the crag where the damp conditions on some of the routes made it tough going. Quick draws were pre-placed in routes graded from 6a to 7b+. Competitors could choose to finish the event by top-roping an easier route or going for time deductions by choosing a harder lead climb.






The Macrae family surprised everyone by bringing along a barbeque which kept the chill from the crag and gave people some sorely needed energy to try the harder routes. The slippy conditions and the strict time limit of 5 minutes for each lead climb attempted proved to be a real challenge. Despite the pressure, all but two of the competitors completed at least one route.



After adjusting the times to take account of the climbs completed, the award winners included Kirsty Noble (first Veteran), Megan Macrae (first female) and winner of this year’s Golden Carabiner was Paul Tattersall with an adjusted time of 1 hour, 31 minutes. Steve Hammond came in second (1.39) overall and Colin Meek third (1.41).



Plans for another Golden Carabiner are already underway. Go Further’s Colin Meek (pictured swimming, below) tested the water during this event with a 700 meter swim in Loch Maree before the run. He had hoped to make it 1km but was driven from the water by the cold. Given the freshwater temperature in April, any future event that includes a swim will have to be held in summer or early autumn.



Thanks to everyone who took part and helped organise the day and special thanks to: Jim Buchanan, Terry Doe and the gang from Gairloch climbing wall for all their time and effort on the day; Helen Meek (pictured on the fiddle below) for these pictures; and, of course - to Paul and Angela for the inspiration and slick organisation.

Special mention here as well to Rich Betts (pictured climbing left) who, after completing the whole event, still had enough energy left to cruise the tough 7b Shotabeena - one of the best routes at the crag.

A few more pictures from the day (and the evening) below.

Tags: poolewe, sport Climbing, running, Cycling, A832, tollaidh, tollie, paul tattersall, Creag Nan Luch, Shotabeena, Colin Meek

Here’s another picture of Beinn Eighe’s Black Carls with Stuart looking back east from the main ridge. This picture was taken on Easter weekend when there turned out to be good walking conditions, flurries of snow, but mostly dry and breezy with lovely spells of sunshine. The air was very clear giving spectacular vistas as far north as Foinaven and south to Ben Nevis.
The forecast for the week ahead looks good for Wester Ross and the North-West. Easterly winds, the Spring spell we all wait for, dry,dry,dry...

Tags: Beinn Eighe, Black Carls

test
Scrambling in the North West is normally associated with mountains such as An Teallach, Liathach and Stac Pollaidh but there are many other venues where the scrambling is just as good or better. Torridon’s Beinn Eighe for example has some great scrambling on the Eastern end of the main ridge. These pictures show Sara and Paul practising their scrambling skills on the Bodaich Dubh (Black Carls) in fresh, windy weather in mid-april.

Tags: Beinn Eighe, torridon, Scrambling

Whilst the crags on the coast were bathed in sunshine giving pleasant, dry rock climbing, challenging walking conditions were to be had yesterday 1000 meters up on An Teallach. Gair, David and Jonathon carefully negotiating the goat path below the famous Corrag Bhuidhe buttress on their way to Sgurr Fiona which is one of An Teallach's Munros. Not much to be seen but a very satisfying day all the same.

Tags: An Teallach

Here are a couple of images from our our early season so far. The official start of Spring 2009 brought with it a few days of warm, sunny and calm weather. Wonderful hill walking conditions. The first picture looks north east from Beinn Airigh Charr (791 meters) over the beautiful Fionn Loch towards the remote Fisherfield Munros. The second is a picture of the two famous Munro peaks on the An Teallach ridge: Sgurr Fiona on the left and Bidein a Ghlas Thuill on the right.

We’re gearing up for the start of the Spring and Summer season 2009 with new pages to our website, new pricing arrangements and more information about sea stack climbing.

Check here for more pages about activities on Skye.
We revamped our page on sea stack climbing with more information due soon.

For the coming season we’ve also reduced our prices for groups. For example, our group rate for mountain walking for three people is now £60 each and for four people £50 each. For groups rates for other activities check the individual pages.

As the cold snap continues, these pictures were taken on the same day from the summit ridge of An Teallach in early december on a mountain rescue training exercise. The lower picture was taken at about 10am when we were near the summit of Sail Liath (945m) looking south East. The Top picture is from the Corrag Bhuidhe buttress looking south west over to the magnificent Beinn Dearg Mor. The sun is reflecting off Abhainn Gleann na Muice which runs into the stunning and remote Loch na Sealga - a 5km long loch with Beinn Daerg Mor rising on one side and An Teallach on the other.

Tags: An Teallach, Beinn Dearg Mor, Loch na Sealga, Abhainn Gleann na Muice

Congratulations to Tim and Helen (pictured below) who were on their honeymoon last month when we went ventured onto one of Torridon’s most remote peaks - Beinn an Eoin. This picture was taken in the middle of November from the summit of in the heart of Torridon looking south. Beinn Alligin is on the right with the sun catching, we think, Loch na Cabhaig. The Horns of Alligin are in the middle of the picture.
This was a bitterly cold day (wind chill at around -10c) in November which marked the start of a long spell of very cold weather.

Tags: torridon, Beinn an Eoin

Happy 21st to local climber Megan Macrae pictured here on the crux of Superblue (7b+) at Creag Nan Luch - not far from her home.

Creag Nan Luch (Crag of the Mouse) is one of Scotland’s best sports crags and is found at the West end of Loch Maree near Poolewe and Gairloch. For more information see Superblue (7b+) below.

Tags: Superblue, Creag Nan Luch

There are many ways to tackle An Teallach but the best way to experience the scale of the massif is to start from Corrie Hallie and walk South West to the steep east-facing slopes of Sail Liath. From there, a long haul onto the main ridge means you can traverse both munros and most of the tops travelling north to Dundonnell.

In July this group (left) tackled the ridge in perfect conditions for the exposed scramble before the first munro. The roped scramble over the Corrag Bhuidhe pinnacles takes a direct line up three pitches of steep climbing. The climbing isn’t hard, but it takes a serious line in an exposed situation. From top of the first assent the route stays on the crest of the ridge for some excellent scrambling on perfect rock including an easy chimney and a sharp ridge traverse. This picture looks south from the top of the Corrag Bhuidhe into the Fisherfield Wilderness.

From this section of the ridge the scrambling eases over Lord Berkeley’s Seat (which overhangs Loch Toll an Lochain) and on to the first munro - Sgurr Fiona at 1059m. The ridge then turns to the North East towards Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill which overlooks the second of the two stunning corries.

This picture (left) shows the group on Bidein with the Corrag Bhuidhe in the distance. From Bidein, there are a number of options. Sometimes we drop down to the northern beallach and then north to Dundonnell Hotel. Alternatively, we can drop into the corrie and back to Corrie Hallie or traverse the central ridge east to Glas Mheall Liath and out to Corrie Hallie. On hot days a return to Corrie Hallie means we can dive into a beautiful pool under a waterfall 15 minutes from the road.

See our page on An Teallach for more information or call us if you would like to discuss route options.

Tags: An Teallach, Dundonnell, Corrag Bhuidhe

Sometimes mixed conditions can make mountain day unforgettable. Liathach in Torridon is a great castellated ridge that jumps to well over 3,000 feet from sea level inside 1.5 kilometres. Its steepness is given even more drama by its sandstone tiers and pinnacled ridge. On Wednesday last week the day started cold and misty with the cloud base at about 700m. After making it onto the summit ridge we traversed west and by midday we could sense the cloud getting thinner and breaking in gusts. By 1pm the sun was occasionally slicing through the mist and, when the wind dropped, conditions became warm and humid. As we tackled the scrambling on the pinnacles (left) the cloud was tumbling over the summit ridge in great white waves. It was an exhilarating spectacle as we climbed over the last section of Am Fasarinen towards the second munro.
This is the view of Meall Dearg - Liathach's northern pinnacled ridge - taken from the main ridge about one kilometre East of Mullach an Rathain.









Here you can see the cloud breaking over the Eastern section of the main ridge. On the right of the picture you can just make out another party emerging from the mist onto the summit ridge.









This picture looks north down to the floor of Coire na Caime some 400m below.

Check our our pages on Torridon and Scrambling for options for guiding. Janet (pictured above) and Stuart chose our 'Torridon Munros' course - six munros and eight 'tops' over three days including Liathach.

Tags: Liathach

Karen, Judy, Mel and Karen proving it is possible to have fun in torrential rain in the Cuillin. This picture was taken in late June at the summit of Bruach Na Frithe.
This is usually a straight-forward peak manageable from the Sligachan but at the end of this day the burns you can normally skip over were raging after seven hours of downpour.

Tags: Bruach Na Frithe, skye, Cuillin

The gofurther team has enjoyed bright and dry conditions on most days on Skye over the past few weeks. The top picture shows Paul with Christine, Rory, James, Gair, Calum, Alistair and Pat after an ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle on Sgurr Dearg. Here, the group has descended down the steep slabs from the Pinnacle for a breather on an airy outcrop before we climbed back onto the main ridge for an ascent of Sgurr Mhic Choinnich.
The other picture shows Colin with the same group on the Western Buttress of Sgurr nan Gillean. This section is the most technical part of the buttress with scrambling over, and between, a series of small pinnacles. The group went on to the summit of Am Basteir which you can seen in the distance.

Tags: An Stac, Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Basteir, In Pin, Inaccessible Pinnacle

With hardly any rain now since mid-april the ground is parched and dusty. This picture shows how dry the peat is in the notorious 'bog' between Larachantivore and Shenevall in the Fisherfield Wilderness. The picture was taken in mid-May.

With the weather perfect for long mountain routes and cimbing gofurther has had a busy May. This picture was taken in the middle of the month during a walk through the Fisherfield Wilderness following the route of the Great Wilderness Challenge (GWC). The GWC is an annual sponsored walk and run held in August organised to raise money for local charities. The longest GWC route leaves Dundonnell in the north and ends 25 miles later at Poolewe in the south. Here Clive and Jan are enjoying the stunning view from the path above the Dubh Loch.
This walk normally takes around nine to ten hours. See our pages on guided walking for more.

Tags: Great Wilderness Challenge, fisherfield

With the weather perfect for coastal walks and sea-cliff climbing the gofurther team took themselves to the magic of Sandwood bay on the North West of Sutherland. About 30 minutes to the south along the coast stands one of the UK's most impressive sea stacks - a 65m tower of sandstone which you can just make out in this picture.
This climb includes everything: a beautiful walk to a stunning and remote location; a walk around a rugged coast; a swim out to the stack; a exhilarating climb; a 50m abseil; and, some breathtaking views. But words can't paint the picture, so we've put together a small video of the trip we made on Friday 9th May. Just click on the embedded movie below. Three days on and the weather hasn't changed.
If you're interested in guided sea stack climbing click here for our dedicated page.

Tags: Am Buachaille, Sandwood Bay, Sea Stacks, Sea Stack Climbing