Ramsay Round Shortcuts

[Alan Lucker]

video to follow courtesy of FMA productions. i'll post up on youtube when i've edited which may be a while. was a pleasure to support and no doubt i'll get another opportunity next year Bill. Thanks to wynn for the cooking.

Just back from Scotland. I really enjoyed the round, well, apart from the climb of Sgurr Elide Mor will and I both found that really hard work. Snow on Ben Nevis and CMD soon gave way to a beautiful day and night. Thanks to everyone that helped us, you were all fantastic.

Sorry it didn’t happen for you Bill but needless to say when you have another go you will have 2 more to add to your hill support team.

I am looking forward to the video John, thanks for doing that, I know it meant catching us back up with a heavy pack each time.
Wynn and Yiannis and Bill do you have the official Summit times, I have rough times in my head e.g. down a bit up a bit. But I think I will need to be more accurate for Jonathon.

[ydt]

..............Wynn and Yiannis and Bill do you have the official Summit times, I have rough times in my head e.g. down a bit up a bit. But I think I will need to be more accurate for Jonathon.

Alan,
1. Congratulations for a great success and for giving me and others an excuse to roam those wild Scottish hills.
2. I will email you the times.
3. Sgurr Eilde Mor: I personally never liked the way up from Locheilt lodge ruin, which involves a long track and a very steep climb of nearly 2400ft. The best way up for me starts at a small footbridge at NN266678. The ascent is more progressive and pleasant. I did that in my solo run and it cost me no extra time. If going anticlockwise this is faster than the usual way and saves a lot of muscle fatigue from droping straight down.
Yiannis

[Joe]

Joe,
Mullach nan Coirean:
I often go off the path in order to run on soft grass but have not taken a straight line to the stile. Where about do you leave the path? Next w/e I am again up there supporting another attempt and will look at that.

Follow the path through the scree, below the scree cut the corner on the left, down the grass on the LHS of the path until it turns to heather, then direct to the stile. Follow the boggy bits and other natural gaps in the heather.

I marked my whole route up on bikehike as near as I could, including all zigzags and shortcuts:

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=9484

Some years ago I (with Rob Woodall) had reccied a route along the N ridge. It has very good running apart from a couple of rough bits and misses out the track/road running at the end. I did not do it in my solo Ramsay as I was finishing in the dark in bad weather and had little time to spare.

Did you go via Dun Deardail? There's a good track from there to the forest road, then a track down through the forest that misses out the zigzags on the track.

[ydt]

..................
Did you go via Dun Deardail? There's a good track from there to the forest road, then a track down through the forest that misses out the zigzags on the track.

The route passed on the E side of the Dun Deardail fort and dropped steeply to the track at the hairpin apex (NN128706). There were a couple of fences to be crossed. Then along the track for a short distance and down a forest ride and to the road.
Yiannis

[Joe]

The route passed on the E side of the Dun Deardail fort and dropped steeply to the track at the hairpin apex (NN128706). There were a couple of fences to be crossed. Then along the track for a short distance and down a forest ride and to the road.
Yiannis

That sounds like a good route down. Coincidentally Dun Deardail was where we were headed when we saw you, and that's the forest ride we came down to our car by the youth hostel! For once it wasn't a walk chosen for it's recceing possibilities, but pure accident.

[Bob]

Some shots of the Mamores section here - http://picasaweb.google.com/BobEWigh...Round07062009#

[Baggins]

Alan Lucker and Will Houghton, both of Bowland fellrunners, had a successful Ramsay on Sat/Sun 6/7th June. Bill Williamson, who started with them had to drop out before the Mamores. Support before, during and after the event was organised by Wynn.
Yiannis

Many thanks for all the support and that stew of Wynns did wonders

Alarm bells started ringing when I got cramp in the back of my leg after about four hours
Managed to make the schedule times between tops until Stob Ban but cramped up again on the descent, took 1:29 to get up Easian by the time I summited Will and Alan were half way up Mheadhoin.
Made it there in 19 mins then took 50 mins to descend to the dam where I was humbled to see Alan and Will still waiting (they must have been there at least 20 mins and would wait another 20 until I was ready to go)

After about 20 mins of ascent up Stob Sgriodain I realised I still couldn't go at their pace so told them to leave me and take our only support runner with them. They weren't too happy about this but I was adamant I felt they had lost enough time due to me and must carry on.

By the time I'd got to Chno Dearg I was two minutes slower than the scheduled pace and 30 mins in total. I was hoping to make time up on Beinn na Lap but ended up losing another 6 mins and by now it was dark.
The descent was horrible sore knees and sore feet, don't know if it was tiredness or a run down battery in my torch but I could hardly make out where I was putting my feet and seemed to hit every rock going and stumble into every hole, took me 56 mins to reach the railway line I knew then it was over.
What happened next was the longest six hours of my life, all the way to Mamore Lodge.

Many thanks to my support for coming looking for me with veg stew and rice pudding.

Anyone fancy a run out around Glen Nevis in June 2010

[IanDarkpeak]

Anyone fancy a run out around Glen Nevis in June 2010

Tough luck Bill. The problem with these big rounds is everything has to click. just one part of the plan goes astray and it all goes to pieces.

Just to try it shows you are good enough and have it in you.

If I'm free i'll help out.

[Alan Lucker]

Sorry it didn’t work out for you Bill.
When we went ahead Up Stob Coire Easain, our original plan was to have a break 3/4 of the way up and wait for you. We then decided that more rest at the Dam would be a better idea, so just carried on for a longer break. We were never going to leave you. Sorry it ended up coming to that on Sgriodain, but if you hadn't let us go on at that point I think we would have been struggling for time. Thanks for that brave decision, it didn't feel good to leave you at that time, with night closing in.
Next time it will work out better, cramp that early must have been a sign it wasn't to be your day.

Anyone fancy a run out around Glen Nevis in June 2010

Count me in Bill, I’m sure I speak for Will also!

[ydt]

................................
Anyone fancy a run out around Glen Nevis in June 2010

Bill,
you will not be short of support in 2010, just tell us when and we will be there!
Yiannis