1646 – Issue 3

catchers. I decided to cover my lovely new Arrow jacket with my very old and trusty favourite Mountain Equipment windproof just incase we got splattered by the oily, fish smelling, bird puke. The climbing was steep and burly but was surprisingly clean and solid, unlike the next two sea stacks. A narrow forecast of good weather for the Orkney Islands meant we hot footed it across to Thurso playing wacky races on the NC500 route. I lived in Applecross for a few years before this route was invented so I have been quite blown away by how busy the Highlands have got. We had to do a lot of heavy braking, smiling and waving so mixed in with Covid meant that we re named the route the 500 waves. Despite the slow journey we were treated to a stunning coastline and had to resist the temptation of stopping at every golden sandy beach along the way. As you take the ferry across to Orkney you get treated to your first proper look at the Old Man of Hoy. He sits grandly looking out to sea watching over the towering cliffs behind him, like a granddad watching over his children, proud and wise. The descent down to the base isn’t half as harrowing as the Old Man of Storr. The climbing however is much more exciting and sandy. The steep second pitch is wild, with years of history still within its jaws. Old wooden wedges, rusty pitons and slings lead the way. Adventurous climbing at its finest. Despite it being a glorious sunny day, we climbed it in the shade and I was relieved to get to the top and warm up. We were treated to a stunning vantage point surrounded by the vast ocean and it felt even more special having it all to ourselves. I still can not get my head around the fact that Jesse Dufton lead climbed it blind in 2019. An utterly courageous and epic achievement. The final 60m abseil was defiantly memorable swinging out into space. With some inclement weather we had a few days on Orkney, swimming in the sea, visiting standing stones and lots of old broughs. The history of the Islands is incredible, it’s well worth staying on for longer to tour around and make the most of it. We enjoyed listening to the England quarter finals parked upon the North coast, seeing the neighbouring camper van shake every time we (England) scored a goal. The weather was looking ok back West again so we decided to head back to the mainland, ticking off Ben Hope, the most Northerly Munro, on our way. We headed up the quieter NE ridge, paying our respects to the climbing legend Andy Nisbet and his climbing partner Steve Perry who were new routing on the mountain during the winter of 2019. It’s always sobering that someone so talented and experienced can still lose their life doing what they love. Our final stack was Am Buachaille. I think with hindsight it was good to leave this one until last. The weather was far from perfect but with a worsening forecast we had to make the best of it. Both of us had to commit to the swim as there is no Tyrolean option. Matt had to put his brave swim shorts on as despite his good swimming abilities he is not so keen on getting wet. After a winter of swimming in Llyn Padarn, my local lake, I felt quite at ease with the water. Thank god as it feels quite committing filling dry bags with all your climbing equipment, ropes and dragging them across the channel. The stack was really quite wet. Matt took the sharp end and got us to the top, despite the drizzle and dampness, up sustained HVS ground on ‘Original Route’. Be prepared for not particularly great protection and some big run-outs on some rather sandy, breakable rock. We also somehow managed to avoid birds being sick on us which was a miracle. A rather damp walk back didn’t dampen the excitement of the day, topped off by listening to England win in the semi finals via the radio. The final stop of the trip was the climbing the Cioch Nose which you can access from the famous Bealach na Ba, the nearest thing we have to a winding alpine road in the UK. It has scared the living daylights out of many an unsuspecting camper van driver. Arriving in heavy drizzle we decided to wait until the next morning. The forecast still didn’t look promising but we were treated to bright sunshine A bit about me…. I had always enjoyed a sporty and outdoorsy childhood. Walking in the British mountains with my family. Being part of the cadet force at school and a trip to the Indian Himalaya in 1999. I have Miss Tanya van der Werff to thank for my passion for travel. My expedition to India as a seventeen year old opened my eyes to a whole new world. All I knew is I didn’t want a desk job. Climbing and travel has been a huge part of my life ever since winning the David Person travel award back in the year 2000. I Spent my gap year travelling across the silk route on an overland truck from London to Hong Kong climbing along the way. I ended up spending a big part of my 20’s leadings overseas expeditions all over the world, from time in the south American jungles to high mountain passes in the Himalayas. Leading an overland climbing expedition from South Africa to Jordan was definitely a highlight. I am currently working towards my winter mountaineering and climbing instructor qualification spending my winters working in the Scottish highlands. I also work part time as a teacher of Geography and outdoor education in North Wales and freelance at a rock climbing and mountaineering instructor. My husband Matthew Stygall is a British mountain guide. You can find me at Walk Scramble Climb on Facebook and Instagram. and a slight breeze. Sometimes you have to keep the faith. It really did feel good to be back, descending down from the phone mast surrounded by imposing cliffs and with stags running around in the valley bottom. The route didn’t disappoint and provided us with some of the best rock we encountered all trip. A fantastic route for the grade in a stunning position looking down to Loch Kishorn. We then headed down the road to climb The Sword of Gideon VS4c, another classic route by Tom Patey who soloed it in 1961. The weather was so hot I had a massive nosebleed at the top. In fact the rivers were so low I struggled to find a pool large enough in the nearby river to have a wallow in to cool down. Now I never thought that would happen. Turns out you don’t need to get on a plane to have a serious adventure. 21