EARLY TRAVELS IN SCOTLAND

Margaret and Barry Williamson
Added to the Website in April 2016 

Introduction

The following two short articles recall travels in Scotland many years ago. The first, Rock Climbing in the Cuillins, dates from Barry's student days. Work as a bus conductor during the long summer holidays enabled him to buy and almost maintain a 5cwt Ford van. This was great for carrying up to four climbers and their gear on expeditions to Pennine Gritstone, North Wales, the English Lake District, Glencoe, Glen Torridon and the Isle of Skye.

The account below describes a classic climb on the Sron Na Ciche face of the Cuillin ridge, overlooking what was then the deserted beach of Glen Brittle. Climbing gear was simple in those days: about 40 metres of climbing rope, a long thin rope wrapped three times round the climber's middle, a karabiner (snap link) to connect the rope to the waist band and a number of rope slings to create belays to rock flakes or chock stones. All this actively discourages any tendency to fall off!

The second article, Cycling in the Outer Hebrides, dates from the years when we both worked in Huddersfield, Margaret at the Technical College, Barry at the Polytechnic. We each got 6 holidays a year varying from a week at half terms to 6 or 7 weeks in the summer. We used every break for travel almost always by bicycle. Long summer journeys took us to Istanbul, to Tromso, to the furthest reach of the former Czechoslovakia and across the USA.

The account below describes one week, stretched to nine days cycling through Scotland's Outer Hebrides. In those days, it was safe just to leave the car on the dock in Oban and know it would be there when we returned. On other journeys we had left the car on the dock: in Hull, Holyhead, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Those were the days.

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IN THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND

ROCK CLIMBING IN THE CUILLINS

By Student Barry Williamson

Climbers regard the Cuillin Hills in the Isle of Skye as their Mecca. There is little scope for dancing but some climbers have been known to face the rocks and pray.

The rock is gabbro, igneous in origin and very rough. The average life of a pair of trousers is said to be six days. The main difficulties lie in the weather (wet), the names of the mountains (Gaelic) and the opening hours (short).

During Easter, Charlie and I were lucky enough to find that it was not raining when we reached the foot of the Western Buttress of Sron Na Ciche, about 1,500 feet above our tent on the beach in Glen Brittle. Our aim was the Median Route, which gives 1,400 feet of climbing onto a spur which comes down from the main ridge.

We located the start of the climb above the screes, tied on the rope and started. Leading out the rope up a narrow crack in the rock, Charlie went up about 60 feet until he was stopped by a slightly overhanging section. At times like this, confidence is required to tackle a hard move; the rope gives no protection; not yet 'warmed up', the climber moves awkwardly and the ground feels to be a long way down. Continuing for a further 50 feet, Charlie tied himself to a chock stone jammed in the crack and took in the rope as I climbed up to him.

I found the second pitch easier. The leading climber is now protected by the rope, since the distance he can fall is limited to twice his height above the second man, who remains tied on below. In about 60 feet I came to a suitable flake, tied on and brought up Charlie, who continued as before.

So the climb went on, over slabs, up cracks and chimneys, along ledges. The rock was steep and increasing height added spice to the climbing, as well as giving excellent views over the Atlantic to the Islands of Eigg and Rhum and the Outer Hebrides.

At the Spring Bank Holiday, we were both able to get away for 9 days to ride 360 miles through the Western Isles of Scotland. Driving up from Huddersfield, we left the car on the harbour at Oban and took the ferry to Barra and then on to Lochboisdale in South Uist. We rode up through South Uist and Benbecula to Newton Ferry in North Uist. A small passenger (-cum-bicycle) ferry took us across a stormy sound to Leverburgh in South Harris via Berneray Island. We then rode up to Callanish in Lewis where we stayed two nights in a crofter's cottage next to the stone circle, visiting Stornoway.

Riding back to Tarbert, we took the ferry to Uig in north-west Skye and rode down through Portree to Armadale where we took a ferry to Mallaig on the mainland. Another 80 miles, through beautiful highland and sea loch valleys, and two more ferries in and out of Mull got us back to our car waiting on the dock in Oban. The following morning we were back at work in Huddersfield.

Our memories of the islands are mainly of the crofters, still following their old ways, in a remarkably bleak, wet, beautiful, storm-swept landscape. So bleak that we often had difficulty finding somewhere to prop the bikes when we stopped!