Rigby Round (18 C'gorm Munros)

[IanDarkpeak]

Good question Compo! Digging out my file, Mark Rigby started at the YH for logistical reasons. He came up by train, cycled to the YH and stayed overnight, starting at 8 a.m. I see he too had problems with the route off Cairngorm ;-)

Coire Cas start - yes that would make more sense, and save about 40 mins I think. Referring to Bob Berzins' FR 10/99 article - that's exactly what he did, going clockwise, finally contouring back to the car park after Braeriach.

I wonder where Phil Clark started. I don't seem to have FR 10/04 - can anyone advise? If Coire Cas, his 22:04 time would be closely comparable to Mark's 22:44. If the YH, then a clear record.

14h Tranter - that sounds like fast trotting! What's the record these days?

Hi Rob

Yes it is me (your email) As you know from our chat on Nicky's recce's i fancy a crack at this but might have to wait for other stuff to finish first. Might try later in the year or next May/June. Although I'd be happy just to get round in one piece.

I've done some long solo stuff but not through the night and not so far from help so it would be interesting to know what you carried in the way of equipment/food.

do you feel like spilling the beans? What about you Full Moon adict? any comments?

[RobW]

Food - moist and tasty. I don't entirely trust energy drinks and try to eat solid food for at least the first 8h, cake's OK initially, a quiche cut into 4 pieces individually bagged is a favourite anytime. 1 banana. About 12 fun-size choccy bars. Jelly babies. Sweets - boiled / tangy / chewy; glacier mints. Kendal mint cake (if desparate - melts in the mouth). Little tubs of rice pud (2) & fruit (2 - citrus works best). Complan - 2 chocolate & 1 strawberry. 500 ml bottle of Hi5 powder, plus a wide-topped bottle to mix it in (which I lost on the first descent, and resolved never to keep an empty bottle in a side compartment ever again). I got thru everything except some Hi5, some choccy bars and a couple of bits of cake. Maybe ditch the cake... It takes a lot of practice to take a sufficiently small amount of food - I've almost got the hang of it... Not that the above will work for anyone else.... And bear in mind I've failed on more of these things than I've completed.

Back at the finish (car) I had a Big Breakfast can ready (you did say spill the beans) - downed it cold, and pleasingly, it stayed down.

Plenty of water en route - I never needed to carry more than 500ml (I was carrying a 750ml bottle, plus the one I lost).

If I'd planned further ahead and got someone into the Lairig Ghru with half my supplies, I'd have ordered the usual pot noodle, instant pasta meal and coffee at Corrour.

Gear - 50k map extracts (MRR fits onto 4 sides of A4) slipped into 2 poly bags (almost waterproof ;-). Normally I have bearings pre-marked but not in this case - insufficient prep time. Compass. KIMMLITE sack, weighing maybe 2(3?) kg at a guess, excluding water. Waterproofs. Anti-inflammatories. No phone or GPS. Digi camera. Microfleece was on about half the time. inov8 Mudclaw 270s - new out of the box and unfeasibly comfortable. I think that's about it.

I also think it's important to do a few >15h days, just so you know you can get past 12h, and then it's countdown to the finish...

[Full Moon Addict]

I've been looking at this on the map too and was wondering why people don't start from the Coire Cas carpark. Is this deemed "unethical" in some sense or is just traditional to start from the youth hostel or Glenmore Lodge?

Agree about the conditions - last week was superb. I managed a 14 hour trot round Tranter's Round and the day before it was done in just over 13 hours. I bumped into the the Macclesfield Ramsay team in the Mamores.

In a couple of weeks there is to be a serious attempt on the Broxap Munros record round too. Good to see that these rounds seem to be getting the attention they deserve.

Hi Compo

Glad to see you went up for the tranter. who did it in 13 hours? Thats a very good time.

[compo]

The same person who is having a crack at the Munros record round in a fortnight...

[RobW]

Hmm not so far off McDermott's 1990 record (12:50 solo unsupported!). http://www.shr.uk.com/LongDistanceRe...nceRecordID=10
He is fast isn't he ;-)

[ydt]

Rob, well done!!
I have just returned from a few days in Scotland myself. I sorted out the Post Run and ran it in both directions non-stop. Lots of history uncovered.
If you or anyone else is free on 21/22 then you can support Spyke's munro record attempt. There is more in the Broxap thread.
Yiannis

[RobW]

Welcome back, ydt! As discussed, the Broxap+ will be way too fast for me

I have finally sorted out some pics from Saturday. Like I said, the weather was quite favourable ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8589216...7605432419678/

For anyone new to Flickr, click on slideshow, then when the i appears, click on that, to see titles and descriptions superimposed.

Rob

[Full Moon Addict]

looks like you had a wonderful day out Rob. Probably quite a lonesome one I would guess. Must try this sometime myself. I echo your comments about weather. I was in Knoydart over the bank holiday week. Never seen it so dry. the locals bought watering cans for the first time. The bay at Sourlies was amazing with the dried up bog. See http://johnfleetwood.smugmug.com/gallery/5061406_xurNr

The next time my son goes to Knoydart, I'll try to dampen down expectations of building sandcastles in the sunshine.

[RobW]

Great set of pics, FMA! Ben has forgiven you for the Welsh 3000s, then ;-)

MRR - there were a fair few folk between Carn a'Mhaim and Mheadhoin, and 4 folk late p.m. on Ben Avon. You should definitely give the route a go. Interested to see where you start ;-) and whether you do it in winter.

[RobW]

Good question Compo! Digging out my file, Mark Rigby started at the YH for logistical reasons. He came up by train, cycled to the YH and stayed overnight, starting at 8 a.m. I see he too had problems with the route off Cairngorm ;-)

Coire Cas start - yes that would make more sense, and save about 40 mins I think.

I wonder where Phil Clark started. I don't seem to have FR 10/04 - can anyone advise? If Coire Cas, his 22:04 time would be closely comparable to Mark's 22:44. If the YH, then a clear record.

Having finally got sight of FR10/04 at the weekend (thanks YDT), Phil did start and finish at the YH, same place as Mark Rigby. So that's settled then