Glencoe-Kintail Vol Biv - Part 3

I slept OK, and dozing in my bag waiting for the sun to hit me I was startled out my slumber by a wee bird landing on my bivvy bag! The hillside was alive with small birds chirping away and zipping about feeding on the grass.

Ready for more

The day looked promising with the first thermals popping off around 11.30. The wind was north westerly which wasn't ideal for my hill, and made for a tricky first decision on where to go for a climb after launching: head for the bigger, into wind slopes or peel round the corner and look for a thermal on the sunny south side. In the end I dithered, climbing initially from the hill and heading towards a cloud in the glen I then lost my nerve, retreated back to my launch - which was no longer working so well - then dived over to the slopes on the Munro behind expecting to find some ridge lift. The ridge was too westerly though (which I suspected) and the air was sinking as it came round the corner from the north. I got drilled making it round the corner, then found very little lift coming up the into wind slope. With increasing concern I pressed on along the diminishing slope, glancing up at the beautiful array of fluffy cu's now appearing all over and the prospect of a glorious day ahead slipping away... I desperately tried to hook into some strong but tiny bubbles popping off a small crag on the lower slopes but eyeing up the long hike up the hill I came in to slope land.

With one foot on the ground I spied an eagle circling way out in the centre of the glen offering salvation, and was straight off the brakes and heading out for a final gamble. Sure enough, there was the thermal and with great relief I climbed my out of the mess I'd made for myself, immensely grateful to the Golden Eagle that showed me the way.

The sky looked great and after such a sublime day yesterday I was anticipating more classic conditions. It wasn't going to be that easy however. Despite a well formed cloud above, my climb petered out before 4000ft and drifting with the wind (which was surprisingly prominent) down the ridge I found myself in some rough unpleasant air in the lee of the great Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan, finally escaping when I reached the end of the massive and headed out to the north along the final spur. Wanting to explore the glens to the north I pushed on into wind (10-15 kph?) with regular cloud topped thermals marking the way. It was tricky flying though, with patchy thermals and elusive cores. I made it to the next ridge before heading west, then back past my bivvy hill for a small triangle, and then onwards south to escape the hills and the messy air.

Looking back at Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan

Loch Mullardoch, where I turned around to head back south

Returning towards my bivvy hill

Kicking the ridge tops

Unable to gain that much height above the hill tops however I dived over the ridges and got swept down the glen along the northern spurs of the five sisters, before escaping out over Loch Cluanie and into smooth climbs and cloud streets stretching out above Glen Moriston.

Ah, such relief!

Smoother skies ahead! 

With the wind behind me and stacked clouds ahead I started covering some ground, surfing the obvious lines under the clouds.

The winds were coming from all directions around the centre of the high pressure, and there was a huge convergence line set up around the great glen, stretching away to the south east. Sticking to the edges of the cloud, in abundant lift, I followed it south to Invergarry where it looked for a short while that I might make it all the way to Fort William. The clouds dissipated over Loch Lochy however so I decided that was enough and eyed up some nice grassy landing spots at the roadside.

Loch Lochy to the south

Above Invegarry

The Great Glen

With the convergence still dominant behind, getting down wasn't an easy task, but it was a great opportunity to try out some wingovers and spirals on my new wing: wingovers are a delight! Still at 4000ft however I was getting bored of the effort and started to reconsider my options.

I'd loosely agreed to meet Gill in Glen Shiel at the end of the day and having not heard otherwise suspected she was still up that way. The convergence wasn't going anywhere for a while yet so I gave up on the landing plan and on full bar into wind, still going up at 3m/s, headed back the way I'd come.

The lifty air stretched way beyond the convergence clouds and I eventually made it all the way back to the end of Loch Cluanie, for a windy landing in a typically boggy field!

Loch Cluanie back in site, to the west now

Delighted with my mini-adventure

Glencoe-Kintail Vol Biv - Part 2

A promising day breaks

I went back for the oatcakes I'd left on a rock when I'd gone looking for water the evening before. Found them, took a photo to capture the memory... And walked off without them.

Still there...

I enjoyed my breakfast basking in the sun on the hilltop: 

"The stillness of the morning, with the sun warming your face and a coffee warming your belly, shaking off the sleepiness of the night, is one of the most magical moments of bivvying in the mountains."

Saturday was incredible. An absolutely stunning flight deep into Knoydart, and then over Glenshiel and into Kintail.

Waiting for the day to warm up

I was itching to get off with light thermals coming through around 12 but watching 2 large birds of prey (white bodies with white diagonal on black wings - Ospreys?) fail to climb out, the inversion was still to break. I tried shortly after with an unsuccessful scratch around and a slope land, but almost straight after that a nice cu popped up over the opposite end of the bowl and the game was clearly on. No bother on my next attempt at 1.30; I climbed out easily with base already at 5000ft and headed along the mountains west and then north towards Knoydart. Mostly blue skies but with cu's marking the best climbs and with no wind it was easy going, and I bimbled along enjoying the views. Still lacking a bit of confidence in myself and the day, I couldn't resist taking most climbs (which were abundant!) and staying high.

On my way

Nearing the coast

Spectacular flying along the coast, deep in the boonies: what a special place to be.

Hence my surprise to see another glider! A racy white Gin, which I later found out to be Trias on his way to completing an impressive 90km triangle from Glen Finnan - flying significantly faster than me!

Trias! 

Knoydart ahead

Loch Hourn

The view to the SW

Moving north towards Glen Shiel

I cruised along, playing in the clouds, getting up to 7200 ft over the Forcan ridge in Glenshiel and then crossed the A87 into Kintail with some nice cloud streets marking the route. It was still lifty under the large clouds but with the day definitely slowing I started looking for a bivvy spot with a westerly face for the expected wind on Sunday.

Glean Gaorsaic provided the magic. A beautiful large glen ringed by craggy mountains with 2 lochs and a river. I first had my eye on Sgurr Gaorsaic - a prominent steep hill with an enticing flat top and snow for water - but I headed past to explore the other options in the glen, also eyeing up the west ridge of the massive Sgurr nan Ceathramhnan. Still undecided I headed back to Gaorsaic where I found a weak climb that took me back up so I could get a proper look at the summit of the Sgurr. Too steep and cold however so I headed back again and top landed on the flat grassy slopes of Sgurr Gaorsaic for an exquisite bivvy spot, only slightly tempered by a cold easterly wind that set in after sunset which forced me down the slope to find some respite from the chill.

Crossing Glen Shiel, looking east

Looking back south at my bivvy hill

Glencoe-Kintail Vol Biv - Part 1

The Friday forecast was ok but with a great looking weekend for the West Highlands, I wanted to get myself in a position to explore the swathe of wilderness from Mora and up to Knoydart (the area to the NW of Fort William) in what looked like a rare opportunity to fly up the coastal hills of the West Highlands.

Cautious of being too optimistic for what Friday might bring - and falling short of where I wanted to be on Saturday - I decided to set off from Beinn a Chrulaiste in Glencoe, with the reasonably straight forward goal of getting past Fort William and into the hills beyond to the north west.

Gill was out too, to enjoy the spell of spring sunshine, so I had the benefit of easy logistics, getting dropped off at the foot of the hill, with a loose plan to meet up on Sunday around Kintail. 

Take off on Beinn a Chrulaiste

I got away from Beinn a Chrulaiste around 1pm, with the day in full swing and was straight into decent climbs. I had a bout of indecision on whether to head north as originally planned or east where the clouds looked better, but high cumulus over the Ben was too tempting anyway and I had a great climb up to nearly 7000ft. Indecision struck hard again however, on where to go next, driven by the milky sky and uncertain conditions in either direction.

Heading north to Ben Nevis

Looking down Blackwater reservoir

The crossing NW past Fort William and over Loch lochy had me worried. Wanting to get as much height as possible close to the crossing some convergence clouds drew me in but I couldn't find the lift and minced away all my good height. The final nail was driven home when I eventually found the sink and was forced to make a last ditch crossing with 4000ft of altitude, landing on one of the spurs just across the Glen.

The Ben

Passing Loch Lochy 

Landing, just past Fort William

I hadn't got my head around the sea breeze that was pushing up the glen (that I sank into) and was confused by the northerly winds to the north (SE behind me) which was no doubt causing the convergence. It was a disappointing end to the flight, losing all my momentum scrapping about hunting for the convergence. I should have just gone for it when I had the height.

After a few kms hike to the top of the hill my spirits lifted when the hills to the west revealed themselves, with the sea in the distance. That's what I came for!

I took off from the western face in the early evening, aiming for a glide onto the next ridge to position myself for Saturday (and expecting a bit of a walk) and hooked into a weak thermal coming out the glen to the north that took me up to 3k ft. Heading along the ridge, I was delighted to find more pockets of lift...and more! Took me a while to realise what was happening but I found myself in a beautiful convergence line right above the ridge I was expecting to hike up. Up around 4200ft I cruised along to my planned bivvy spot and out of the convergence, had a wee evening soar with a fairly strong north easterly blowing in. Almost got to strong so I landed and went to find a good camp spot out the wind, eventually having to drop back lower to find a stream, at the foot of a gully under the summit of Gulvain.

Evening take-off

Surfing the convergence towards my bivvy spot at the end of the ridge on the right

First Flight

Evening convergence flight