The base was the Aite Cruinnidhich hostel at Roy Bridge, which the organiser George had booked some months before.  We were the first arrivals in the van, on Thursday night, then Jimmy from Inverness, closely followed by Damien and Finbarr. Attempts by the most recent arrivals to find anywhere open to eat and drink in either Roy Bridge or Spean Bridge were fruitless, so Damien rustled up a spagbol.

The forecast was for Friday to be the best day, and with a lower avalanche level in the east, we headed for the Cairngorms, about an hour away.  Jimmy and Margaret went to try and bag a couple of nearby Corbetts.  The carpark at Cairngorm was filling rapidly when Damien, Finbarr and I arrived, but we stopped for a coffee before tramping across to Coire An Sneachta, Damien twisting his ankle en route.  This became a problem for him, despite an ankle support and painkillers, so he turned back just as we started up the slope to the base of the Fiacaill Ridge.  The ridge was in wonderful condition, but there were a number of slow guided parties which we managed to get past.  Traversing from the top, towards Cairngorm, we met a bloke on a snow board getting towed by a pair of huskies, who  told us that he had met another Irish guy with a bad leg on the way up the mountain. Damien?

It was, because there he was on top, having pulled a Lazarus, and we all walked down together, well pleased with the day’s activities.

Back at the Hostel the Corbetteers were licking their egos having floundered in deep snow, and been forced to turn back, whilst the new arrivals, George, PJ and Anthony, were looking at the forecast for Saturday with rising dismay. The hostel was suddenly jammed full of another group (also the CCC according to the identifiers on the mountain of food that was stowed in the fridges).

Yet another walk into and out of Coire Ardair on Craig Meggy (how many times have I done that without ever climbing a route?) followed on Saturday, along with the abovementioned CCC.  Jimmy went home.  Meal out in Fort William.

Sunday saw The CCC take off for home (with George’s whisky) whilst George, Ant, Finbarr and I headed up the ski lift on Aonach Mor, en route to ‘Golden Oldie’ on the west face, and PJ, Margaret and Damien went in pursuit of another brace of Corbs above Lough Arkaig. 

The longest 2 km I have ever walked, up the Ailt Daim, found us wet and confused as to where the base of the ‘Oldie’ might be as we gazed up into the snow and mist. “Should be around here somewhere” said George, who had been before, and so we started up.   “Is this it?” said Finbarr as we climbed. “Might be” said George.  “Is this it?” said Finbarr, higher up, “Possibly”. said George.   “Is this it?” said Finbarr, even higher. “No” said George.  But we went up anyway. Silver Oldie perhaps, with at best a bronze medal for navigation, for finding our way down with 5 minutes to spare before the last Gondola.  Back at the hostel, herself was well pleased with 2 more Corbetts, Damien had turned back after Meall nah Eilde 838m and went to get the car, and PJ in a coma after trail breaking all day.  Anthony not well either, with a dose of the coronas, he thought

George was incandescent on discovering that the CCC had relocated his malt to Glasgow, making do with wine, as we ‘ate in’ that night.

The Feeneys took off for Cairngorm to ski, and the rest had a rest.  This was a nice walk up Glen Nevis to the Steall Bridge followed by an afternoon in the pub.  Due to rising concern over the fast moving Covid 19 situation, and a poor forecast, we all came home the next day (Tuesday, St Patrick’s day).

The faint hearted heeded the weather warning, the brave, (or foolish), didn’t let the impending storm put the wind up them, and proceeded with the plan, (more out of morbid curiosity than courage I imagine). Marty was there to meet us, clinging to his van, as was Martin Bonar (who had walked over Muckish from the gap) and Terry and his incredible electric car.  We were, Marjan and Alan, PJ and Anthony of the hangovers, and me and the line manager.

The plan, was to abseil into the great cave on Muckish, and then go for a pint. The wind should be from the SW so the north face should be sheltered.  When we parked, inability to open any of the doors on one side of the car, and alarming rocking of same, indicated that the wind was not as anticipated, but undeterred, we climbed out of the other side, and crabbed our way towards the mountain. The wind, which occasionally dropped to hurricane force 17 (+ hail), relented somewhat as we got to the base of the miner’s track.  We met a bloke with a dog coming down.  Martin pointed out that the wind wasn’t too bad earlier in the morning, but we had timed out arrival impeccably at the height of the storm.

 To climb out onto the western flank of the mountain, scramble to the edge of a cliff, and abseil seemed suicidal (especially as Alan had never abbed before) so we decided to go up the miners track and see how it went.

 A splinter group of Martin and Marty (the mad Martins) was seen to veer off and head for the cave.  We pretended not to notice.  It was ok up the track, which turned to snow higher up.  Another splinter group, they of the hangovers, choose to go up a snowy gully, and met us at the sand pit.  A quick scally up the lower reaches of Crowe’s Gully was all we were allowed, as herself had plans for the coffee shop in Glenveigh.

Down we went, but I could see the mad Martins at the top of the cave, and still had ambitions of a photograph. Madder Martin had disappeared, but could I get there in time to take a photo of the lesser mad Martin on the ab?  I raced across meeting Terry (who had changed his mind about staying in the car) en route. When I got to the base of the cave and gazed aloft, there was madder Martin dangling euphorically below the roof, and in no hurry to rejoin humanity, (possibly because there was a big knot below him).  To be fair the knot was almost at ground level, but nevertheless hard to unpick, and almost as hard as getting Marty out of his pre-war harness.  Lesser mad Martin untied the rope and walked down, and we all went our separate ways, some to Glenveigh where we met up with the North West, and some elsewhere.

Malin Head Visitor Management consultation 10/12/2019  Feedback

1.       Bamba’s Tower. This could swallow a lot of funding.  There is already a viewpoint which is more than adequate.  It could be a future project, but at this time the money could be better spent, and appropriate repairs would suffice.

2.       Trails. Land Ownership is fundamental, as you cannot do anything until you have the agreement of the landowner, and this can be withdrawn at any time due to an incident, dispute, or change of ownership.   Visitors come to Malin Head particularly from inland Europe, for the clifftop walk experience, and currently some of the best bits of the Malin coastline are closed,  Skildren Bay to the Devils Bridge, Breasty Bay, Knockmany Bens, and the coastal walk from the Wee House to Glengad (one of the half dozen best such walks in Ireland, and one which used to be recommended in the Blue Planet guide).   Use the funding to purchase the land (by CPO if necessary).  A 10m wide strip of the clifftop would suffice, and this should not prove much of a loss to the landowner (in fact they would be less likely to lose animals off the cliff, if properly fenced).

3.       Path Building.  Consult Mountaineering Ireland, who have access to experts in this field.  They will provide advice on an environmentally sympathetic path which will not get washed away during the first flood.  Learn from the Slieve League experience, where the path had to be redone at great expense.   Spending large amounts of money on H&S infrastructure will not enhance the wilderness experience, and not every path has to be wheelchair accessible, or be wide enough for an excavator and tractor to get past each other.

4.       Car Parking.  The ideal place for the main carpark would be just off the Malin Head loop, which is walking distance from the crown for most people.  Traffic access to the Crown could be on a quota basis (counters and a barrier) so that on quiet winters days visitors can drive up, (but not on a busy day, when they will be stopped at the main car park).

5.       Dunaldragh.  This is a great idea, that is the bridge to the island, Ireland’s most northerly point.  It would be a great attraction, but visitors should be contained in one protected area, for safety reasons and the protection of nesting seabirds.

I am a walker, climber and past president of Mountaineering Ireland (the national representative body for Mountaineers, hillwalkers, ramblers and leisure walkers) resident in Culdaff, and I use the Malin Head area both for walking the headlands, and rock climbing on the cliffs.  This year the Donegal Climbfest was run at Malin head, which brought about 150 visitors to the area for the Mayday bank holiday.   The potential of an iconic place like Malin as an outdoor recreation hub is immense, walkers, climbers, kayakers, fishermen, Basking shark spotting, coasteering etc  but the main problem is that of access.   A couple of years ago, I researched a coastal ‘way’ from the ferry at Buncrana around the North Inishowen coast (linking existing paths) to the ferry at Greencastle (the Inishowen Wildway). The idea was a link with the North Antrim Coastal path, but I was obliged to leave out Malin Head completely, due to the number of intractable access problems.  Great opportunities for the local community are there, if they can convince some crucial landowners to buy into a more accommodating attitude to visitors, and that there is something in it for them.

Alan Tees

Bunagee, Culdaff, Co Donegal

alanwtees@gmail.com

A great weekend, with wonderful January weather.  On Friday we met up with Dennis, Damien, Gertrude, Brian and Martin at the bottom of Croaghmoyle 430m Just south of Nephin.  Brian had worked out a good route over this hill, which none of us had ever been on before. About 3 hours.

Saturday, we left the hostel in Letterfrack, and joined by Neil and Fergus, we drove around to the south side of Maumtrasna.  We walked up the beautiful Sruh Na Long Valley, scrambled onto the snowy summit, and then back down the ridge.  About 5 hours.  Blue skies all day, and meal out in the Bard’s Den.

Sunday. Fergus wanted to do Ben Choona, while some of them wanted a shorter day (something to do with a fitba match) so they went to Diamond Hill.  Our party of Gertrude Margaret, Fergus and I, boosted by two French girls from the hostel (eat your heart out Dennis), started up the hill from Lough Fee, hotly pursued by Westport Hillwalking Club.  They didn’t catch us, but on the top of  Garraun we met folk from Castlebar that we knew from MI, and we both descended the east ridge, and back along the lake to the cars.  Coffee in Kylemore Abbey.  Everybody else went home, but M and I stayed another night in the hostel, as I had part of the Irish Polar crossing to do.

Monday, biked from L.Inagh to Lenane, and on to Westport on the Western Way, then to Newport on the Greenway. Heavy going in a few places, but otherwise superb.  I would hate to walk it.  Margaret picked me up in Newport and then home.