How do you measure wilderness?
Are there wolves in Knoydart? No – but then there aren’t any wolves in Britain so we can’t really use this as a measure of wilderness in this instance.
Are there bears in Knoydart? No – but again we don’t have bears in Britain.
So – no bears, no wolves, is it wilderness?
Knoydart is wilderness as soon as you leave the village of Inverie. There are no roads for 19 miles; you can’t take a car there; there’s no train station, no buses but courtesy of hydro-electricity there is electricity and there is a running water supply for the residents of Inverie.
Check out the video below made by the Guardian and Wilderness Scotland – then you can make your own decision.
We’re returning to Knoydart on Saturday 9th May 2015 with a group of hikers. We haven’t been back for 2 years so it will be interesting to see what if anything has changed. When we first stated to visit Knoydart in 2008 there was no Wi-Fi access freely available. Now you can pick up a network at the pub (The Old Forge) and at the pottery/cafe across the road. Most self-catering properties also offer internet access. Seems like no one can be without their electronic entertainment these days and the thought of being unconnected with the wider world gives us the heebie-jeebies.
However, it is still not possible to drive on to the Knoydart peninsula. (Some of the locals in Inverie have motorised vehicles, but once you leave the hamlet, you won’t really see another vehicle until you return to Mallaig.
Knoydart definitely retains it’s sense of being a special place apart from the rest of mainland Scotland, because it has to be reached by ferry or on foot.
Knoydart might be remote and take a lot of time to reach (though not as remote as trying to reach Everst base camp), but this doesn’t mean that you need to feel in any way deprived or on survival rations.
The advantage of being in a smaller community, less easily accessed by the rest of the world, is that it is a safe environment for children to grow up in and one where security of your own assets does not need to dominate your daily life. Locking up is not essential as it is downtown.
Access to the internet and social media, does not provide any of the basics of life such as food. However living by the sea means that you need not go hungry. Seafood is amazing at Knoydart as you will have seen on the video and the platter at the Old Bridge Inn has to be seen to be believed, as below.
We hope you will consider joining us on one of our visits to Knoydart. We usually go in May and spend the majority of the time exploring the stunning surroundings and sampling some of nature’s larder. If we’re lucky we also get to have up close and personal encounters with some of the local wildlife – we have seen a pine marten fom the kitchen window of our accommodation.
In May 2015 we were asked to organise a trip for 2 days and 3 nights which had to end at the Craigellachie Hotel and needed to include a hike in the Cairngorms National Park.
We ran a tailor-made trip including a guided ascent of Ben Macdui, which was far more than could have been accomplished without Andy’s guidance. Even in May the temperatures on the high Cairngorm plateau are not much above freezing level. It is essential to wind proof clothing and plenty of warm layers. Fortunately Andy always has spare clothing to loan to walkers in his group and though his supply of hats may not be too flattering, at least they are warm.
On day 2: Diana and Ted walked through to Aviemore along theSpeyside Way, one of Scotland’s waymarked long distance routes. This was a contrasting walk with the previous day on a wide relatively level track facing the mountains they had been exploring the previous day. A wee bit of a warm down walk was needed after the exertions of the previous day.
On day 3: we had very limited time before meeting up with some of the wedding party at the Craigellachie Hotel for a private whisky tasting at the Macallan distillery. Fortunately we left promptly and headed straight out to Culloden Battlefield visitor information centre (Diana was anOutlander fan, keen to see the battle sight and experience some of the atmosphere).
We also hit the Speyside Cooperage to see the Coopers (who make the whisky barrels) at work. The Cooperage is only around the corner from the hotel, but would still have been a wee bit of a challenge to get to on their own.
Without the help of Scot Mountain Holidays, Diana and Ted may well not have been able to hike to the summit of Ben Macdui, despite their previous hiking experience in the States. They would also probably have needed to hire a car and may never have got to Culloden Battlefield.
Self-guided Mountain Biking breaks
Email us if you think we can help plan your vacation in Scotland – we can hit all the Highland hotspots and include some off the beaten track surprises you might not know about.
For inspiration check out our Pinterest board and our Flickr account.
Can you rank these images with your favourite at number 1?
All images taken on the Magical Mull hiking vacation with Scot Mountain Holidays, led by Andrew Bateman in September 2014. We’re heading back again in September 2014. Perhaps these images will persuade you to join us if you have some time free this September …
Mull isn’t all about the mountains as you’ll gather from the range of shots we’ve chosen below. Food, architecture, crafts and traditions play a part as well.
Something you might not know about Mull:
We stay at Torlochan Farm on Mull which is a stone’s throw from Australia. What do we mean? Governor MacQuarie of New South Wales orginally came from Mull. He is now interred in the family mausoleum on Mull which is maintained by the National Trust of New South Wales, so a tiny part of Australia on Mull!
Photo caption: you couldn’t get a more iconic and easily identifiable image of Mull than this one of Tobermory, which is the image most people would most easily associate with Mull
Photo Caption: Some of the rugged coastal scenery which is typical of Mull
Photo Caption: check out the geological formats. These columns are very similar to those found at Fingal’s cave and the Giant’s Causeway over in Northern Island. Much of the Giant’s Causeway can be under water. On Mull though there are quite extensive sections of columns to be seen.
Photo Caption: who doesn’t aspire to see a hairy coo when they come to visit Scotland?
Photo Caption: Duart Castle – one of the top tourist spots on Mull, unfortunately covered in scaffolding during our stay.
Photo Caption: Climbing a hill on Mull
Photo Caption: Amazing scenery – you can see ridge after ridge, rolling away into the distance
Photo Caption: what a spread of seafood from Cafe Fish in Tobermory
Photo Caption: they might not be Munros but they are still imposing mountains – Mull viewed by hikers.
Photo Caption: mystical woodland on Mull
Hiking Vacations across the Highlands of Scotland
Adventure vacation in Scotland for all the family
Highlighting Scotland’s most famous export – Scotch or whisky is a feature of this trip. Link in with the Speyside Whisky festival and join us for the first trip of the year departing soon for Whisky month (May) – https://scotmountainholidays.com/tours/19/4871/mountains-and-malts
A wild and secret exploration in Knoydart, home to Britain’s most remote pub and the mountains where Bonnie Prince Charlie i supposed to have hidden after the battle of Culloden: https://scotmountainholidays.com/tours/7/4871/wild-knoydart
A great all round exploration of Scotland’s adventure and culture. Dress up as a Highlander and sample haggis; hike in the remote hills; mountain bike through glorious forests feasting on wild berries and plenty more – https://scotmountainholidays.com/tours/51/4871/visit-scotland-highland-family-adventure
Other news items from Scotland – scotmountainholidays.com/index.php/blog-search-results/?akID[18][atSelectOptionID][]=2
BBC Highlands News – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scotland/highlands_and_islands
National Visitor Information – www.visitscotland.com
It has now been near enough consistently wintry to low levels in the Northern Cairngorms for 3 weeks now. With the winds swinging around to the north a good number of the snowfalls have been heavy for the Northern Cairngorms with some of them being significant at lower levels too. Last night we had just a “skiff” down here in Boat of Garten (230m) whilst on the hill they received 4 inches of fresh powder. We haven’t had such a consistently wintry period for a good number of years! Skiing conditions are presently excellent.
The earlier snowfalls were blown around the hill on westerly and north westerly winds leading to deep deposits of dense (hard) windslab which has now provided a very good base in lee North east through to SE facing areas.
Last Friday and Saturday saw heavy snowfalls with deep drifts below 600m. It’s presently hard going at all levels on the mountain due to knee deep snow.
The forecast is for things to get gradually warmer as we now move towards next week but with frosts at night. This should help to consolidate the snow pack and sets us up very nicely as we move into February.
Best wishes and safe climbing,
Andy Bateman
Not untypical ….. but there’s hope!
First of all Happy New Year to you all from a wild and wintry Northern Cairngorms.
The conditions are still very up and down on the mountains and we are presently experiencing weather patterns that seem to be quite typical the early winter (Dec & Jan), which are frequent freeze thaw cycles accompanied by sometimes violent storms. We are presently experiencing the 3rd violent storm of the winter. A very active cold front past through on Friday night resulting in a dramatic 11 deg C drop in temperature with Cairngorm Summit (1245m) temperature going from +4 to -7 deg C in 9 hours. Some websites are indicating it was as much as a 17 deg change which I doubt since in Boat of Garten (230m) only experienced an 8 deg change. As you might expect with such contrasting air masses abutting against each other the precipitation was intense as the front passed through – heavy rain at low levels at least which quickly turned to snow at all levels. With this very cold air passing over a relatively warm sea on it way to us an unstable airflow is being created i.e. moist relatively warm air (0 deg C) overlaid by very cold dry air. The moist air is then plume-ing up into the cold air forming tall clouds and dropping its moisture in the form of intense snow showers with brief sunny spells (cold dry air).
Up until this point on the hill we have had a mix of wintry spells and thaws which has meant there hasn’t been any appreciable net accumulation of the snow pack except in e.g. the Snow-holing sites. Generally away from the main gulley lines climbs have been in condition but on the thin side with thaws then knocking things back to square one.
A brief thaw is forecast during the latter part of Sunday with the weather charts indicating temperatures remaining below freezing on the mountains from Monday onwards. More snowfall is indicated during this period so let’s hope it stays on the hills
Best wishes and safe climbing,
Andy Bateman
Mountain Weather Information Service – www.mwis.org.uk
Scottish Avalanche Information Service – www.sais.gov.uk
Cairngorm Mountain – www.cairngormmountain.org
scotmountainholidays.com/blog/northern-cairngorms-winter-conditions-report-no-2/
https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/winter-conditions-report-no-1/
Winter Abates ….. & Returns
The week has seen weather moderate from last weeks severe “Weather Bomb”. As I write the temperature on Cairngorm summit is dropping as colder air moves in from the NW. From a high of around 0 deg C today, it’s presently -2. The last 36 hours has seen a thaw at all levels on the hills and lower ground with around a high of 2 deg C at 1200m. The snow cover on the mountains is more obviously patchy but with all the new snow and very high winds of last week that was always essentially the case. Deep accumulations of snow still remain on lee slopes and in the lee of features. These milder conditions have introduced more moisture to the snowpack and with the arrival colder conditions this should help to stabilise things. Tuesday in the mountains was a bitterly cold day with the temperature dropping as low as -8 on Cairngorm Summit (1245m) and accompanied by very strong winds. Monday was little different whilst Sunday gave us a brief 6 hr thaw with the temperature rising and falling sharply giving us a high of 5 deg C on the summit. All in all there have been some good melt freeze cycles over the last week.
For the next 3 days the wind is forecast to be between 60 and 80 mph (gusts 90 mph) with the freezing level starting at 500 m to then rise well above the summits on Sunday. As we approach Christmas the forecast is for it to become increasingly wintry. There are to be continued freeze thaw cycles but with a progression toward significantly colder conditions around or after Christmas Day with snow falling to lower slopes and the ground frozen from valley floor upwards.
So in summary – not a bad start to the winter. Last Saturday also saw the start of the ski season on Cairngorm.
Best wishes,
Andy Bateman
PS: Fri – heavy snow showers and settling snow at all levels
Useful links:
Mountain Weather Information Service
Scottish Avalanche Information Service
Cairngorm Mountain
New partnership between WalkHighlands and Scot Mountain Holidays: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/new-partnership-walkhighlands-and-scot-mountain-holidays/
How do I prepare for a winter skills course: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/how-do-i-prepare-winter-skills-course/
Hogmanay in the Cairngorms – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/hogmanay-cairngorms/
When to come to the Cairngorms: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/when-come-cairngorms/
Which boots to choose for a winter hiking holiday – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/which-boots-choose-winter-walking/
How to build a snowhole – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/best-practice-building-snow-hole-scotland/
How to choose a walking ice axe – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/how-choose-walking-ice-axe/
Hogmanay plans at Fraoch Lodge – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/hogmanay-plans-fraoch-lodge/
Why is it called Hogmanay? – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/why-it-called-hogmanay/
Andy’s winter weather expertise – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/northern-cairngorms-winter-conditions-blog-4/
Winter arrives with vengeance.
November was a mild month with the odd brief wintry interlude. As often appears to be the case a change in the month (and hence lunar cycle) heralds a change in the weather pattern. Sunday 30th was a beautiful mild day but within 24 hrs there was a fresh snowfall on the hills. For the first week in December the weather was a bit up and down but the hills were becomingly increasingly white by the weekend. During Saturday night freezing levels lowered and by Sunday morning there was a good aesthetic covering at valley floor level at Boat of Garten (230m). Since then there has been seen a continuation of the colder weather with only the briefest of milder interludes. Tuesday warmed through the day with lying snow at valley level melting but by sunset the forecast cold front had passed through and showers became increasingly wintry. Wednesday was one of intense and frequent snow showers passing through on very high winds (gusting at over 100mph on Cairngorm Summit). These have been of wet snow at valley level as temperatures hovered fractionally above freezing. This has translated as around -5 deg C on the hill. The intense showers continued through the night and into today on slightly cooler temperatures leaving us with approximately 10 cm of lying snow.
With respect to what’s going on in the hill this is all the more impressive when taking into account that a) Boat of Garten is somewhat in the sheltered lee of hills wrt the prevailing conditions and b) a proportion of the snow of the last 48hrs has melted at low levels.
Obviously due to a) the very high level of drifting and b) the extreme conditions in the last 48hrs it’s hard to say how much exactly has gone down but be rest assured it’s a considerable dump. I would expect in the Cairngorms, due to orographic lift, this would be at least 30cm and of course with all this weather coming in from the west I would expect appreciably more snow as you go further west. Of course the wind exposed shoulders etc of mountains will be scoured of snow but in the sheltered lees the snow will be pretty deep. Considering the strength of the winds the question will be how much snow has been blown off to much lower elevations? It goes without saying that on certain aspects the avalanche risk may be very high. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service kick off the season today so do check out their forecast & reports if you are heading into the hills. Up until now the predominant wind direction has been from the west so many of the sites that are used for winter skills and snow-holing should have a good depth of snow in them now.
Predictions are suggesting the Northern Cairngorms will be getting more heavy snow as the low pressure moves east on Friday. This cold period is set to continue through to the weekend with the temperature at 900m presently forecast to drop as low as minus 6 deg C on Saturday. This is close to the usual seasonal minimum! It’s suggesting next week will be milder but not too mild which overtime should help to consolidate the snow. The ski road on Cairngorm is blocked by drifting but the ski area may open on Saturday for skiing.
All in all it’s an excellent start to the season – as another avalanche of snow slides off our roof!
Best wishes,
Andy Bateman
Useful links:
Mountain Weather Information Service
Scottish Avalanche Information Service
Cairngorm Mountain
New partnership between WalkHighlands and Scot Mountain Holidays: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/new-partnership-walkhighlands-and-scot-mountain-holidays/
How do I prepare for a winter skills course: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/how-do-i-prepare-winter-skills-course/
Hogmanay in the Cairngorms – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/hogmanay-cairngorms/
When to come to the Cairngorms: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/when-come-cairngorms/
Which boots to choose for a winter hiking holiday – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/which-boots-choose-winter-walking/
How to build a snowhole – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/best-practice-building-snow-hole-scotland/
How to choose a walking ice axe – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/how-choose-walking-ice-axe/
Why is it called Hogmanay? – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/why-it-called-hogmanay/
Andy’s winter weather expertise – https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/northern-cairngorms-winter-conditions-blog-4/
Scot Mountain Holidays are pleased to announce a new partnership with leading website WalkHighlands. We have set aside 3 dates for all-inclusive Winter Skills weekends which are available exclusively to Walk Highlands newsletter membership.
The winter skills course
For many, winter sends a shiver down the spine but for a few of us it’s a tingle of excitement. It’s the privilege of experiencing a crystal clear horizon some 70 miles distant, seldom seen during the warmer months. The delicate pinks and oranges of a setting sun interacting with the creations of ice and frost make winter in the mountains a magical time. This weekend winter skills course gives you the confidence and satisfaction of knowing how to be safe and comfortable in this unique and beautiful but sometimes hostile environment.
For an ice axe arrest to be effective, it must be possible for some one to execute “in the blink of an eye”, and therefore needs to be practised repeatedly. We’ve planned the course with this in mind and have not therefore included any training in the complex skill of winter navigation. The course forms a solid foundation in personal winter safety skills; like the proper use of the boot, ice axe and crampons as well as looking at avoiding avalanches, emergency snow shelters, etc. If you feel your winter navigation skills need a boost we recommend you attend either our 5 Day Winter Skills Course or additionally our Winter Navigation Weekend?
The winter skills course also includes a winter ascent of the Munro summit of Cairngorm.
But we’re not offering only the skills – included in the price is accommodation at Fraoch Lodge and your meals from breakfast on the Saturday morning through to your packed lunch to take on the hill on Sunday.
Accommodation for your winter skills course
Fraoch Lodge is a comfortable, homely base for your weekend. Andy, Rebecca and Gregor (your hosts for the course) are also keen hill walkers and international travellers. You’ll probably find many of the same books as you have at home on the shelves and recognise many of the views in their photos.
They’ve also been keen to include work by many of the local craftspeople in enhancing the decor.
Nethybridge pottery have supplied many of our bedside lamps.
Unique Tables (Mark Samuels of Grantown on Spey) have supplied big foot tables to act as bedside tables in many of the rooms.
We’ve purchased a peg loom from Three Bags Wool craft shop in Aberlour and made luxuriously thick rugs and are in the process of adding hand made cushions.
The meals
Rebecca takes pride in providing tasty food with local ingredients, many of which are supplied by the garden which has been converted to a mostly edible garden, but is still a very attractive garden. There are fruit trees and bushes around the border and vegetable beds interspersed. Many guests like to tour round the garden and see what they can spot and identify. If you have the inclination you could well find yourself totting some herbs homeward.
Summary
Scot Mountain Holidays provides adventure tours centred in the Scottish Highlands. All tours include an element of physical activity and interaction with local people.
In winter, the calendar is filled not only with traditional winter skills courses, to encourage people to learn the skills to head out into the hills all year round, but more spice has been added with winter expeditions for a fun but safe way of taking a break from everyday life. For the less adventurous, but fit, there are also a range of winter walking holidays made up from a series of day walks, returning to a comfortable base at the end of each day.
USEFUL BLOGS
How to ice axe arrest: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/skills-how-ice-axe-arrest/
Best practice: how to build a snow hole in Scotland: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/best-practice-building-snow-hole-scotland/
How not to get lost – the art of navigation: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/hiking-how-not-get-lost-art-navigation/
Top 10 winter skills tips (for Scotland): https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/top-10-winter-skills-tips/
How to prepare for a mountain challenge: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/classic-ridges-and-horseshoes-hiking-tips/
Which boots to choose for winter: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/which-boots-choose-winter-walking/
How to choose a walking ice axe: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/how-choose-walking-ice-axe/
EXPEDITIONS FROM SCOT MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYS: https://scotmountainholidays.com/activities/mountain-challenges/
SKILLS COURSES FROM SCOT MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYS: https://scotmountainholidays.com/activities/mountain-skills-courses/
We found this video on YouTube, produced by the MCofS. Here Roger Wild introduces ice axe arrest and explains the basics which you’d learn on the hill with Andy (lead instructor with Scot Mountain Holidays). If you’re comtemplating a winter skills weekend, bear in mind that this is one of the core skills you’ll be learning, which many people have heard about before they book a skills weekend; however, as Roger Wild says: there’s a lot more to the full range of skills to keep you safe in winter and you should consider ice axe arrest to be the last in a series of skills aimed at preventing a sliding fall.
Check out our Top Ten Winter Skills tips: https://scotmountainholidays.com/blog/top-10-winter-skills-tips/
Check out more of Andy’s top winter advice tailored for Scottish winter conditions:
Winter Expeditions: Snow Hole Expedition, Knoydart Winter Wilderness Expedition,Winter Affric Shangri-La
Guided winter walking: Classic Winter Cairngorms, West Highland Winter Munros, Gentle Giants
Winter Skills: Winter Skills Weekend, Introduction to Winter Skills, Winter Mountaineering (min. 2 people), Winter Climbing (min 2 people)
You can book any of scheduled trip run by Scot Mountain Holidays with confidence. We guarantee that you will have a holiday with us no matter what. All trips based at Fraoch Lodge will run as close to the advertised programme as possible. Any trips based away from the Cairngorms will run but the programme may be adapted if not enough people have signed up for the trip.
Book your transport to Scotland with confidence.
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Fraoch Lodge, Deshar Road,
Boat of Garten,
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