Gold in Knoydart

Looking south from the col above Kinbreak

Looking back up the valley we are decending down towards the Sourlies

I am just back from a 4 day trip to Knoydart for Glasgow Academy. My team travelled from Laggan Locks along Loch and River Garry to Kinbreak then into Glendessary onto the Sourlies and finally the end at the Old Forge Inn! We had a real mixture of weather and the midges on Sunday morning were horrific, have a look at Al Halewoods Blog for photos of my tent! Apart from the midges though it was a great trip with a great team.

Now just time to clean and dry kit before heading to Blair Athol to meet up with Fettes College tomorrow for 7 days.

5 days of Hill Skills

Not very summer like on the top of Cairngorm

Happy Navigators

Looking into Loch Avon

Last week I was working on a 5 day Navigation and Hill Skills course at Glenmore Lodge. Over the week we had a mixture of weather (sun, snow, wind and rain) which made for perfect teaching conditions. We spent days on Cairngorm, Ben Macdui, The Drumochter Hills, Castle Hill and the Meall a Bhuachaille ridge. We had a great week covered lots of navigation and other hills skills plus saw lots of mountain flora and fauna.

Summer ML Assessment

Managing a burn crossing

Getting a bit deeper!

At the start of the week I was at Glenmore Lodge working on a Summer Mountain Leader Assessment. On Monday we spent the day looking at emergency procedures, water hazards, a leaders rucksack, navigation and some environmental knowledge. On Tuesday we spent the day looking at group management in steep ground and unplanned use of the rope, plus more navigation and environmental knowledge. The weather was kind to us on both days and they team did well. They are now off on expedition with Mark.

Charity Abseil

After Skye I have had a few days at home, plus a few good days out rock climbing and on top of this I ran a Charity Abseil for Plewlands House at Gordonstoun as they were raising money for their charity of the year, Huntington's Disease Association. Over 40 pupils abseiled off the top of the chapel which has a difficult take off! The students did brilliantly and managed to raise over £400 on the day, which along with all the other events they have managed this year means they have easily reached their target of £500 for the year. Well done Plewlands, I wonder what next years challenge will be?