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