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Chatterbox 2

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Busybee » Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:18 am

I’ve stayed at The Black Bull Gill, some years ago now. We stayed in the then new rooms outside at the back. Very nice.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:21 pm

That's great to here, BB.
Our plan is to go on to Scotland if we can, and walk Ben Nevis, again if the stars are kind to us in September.

Have you walked it?

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Binky » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:04 pm

Gill, we have stayed in some beautiful hotels in Scotland during a touring holiday several years ago. The best by far was The Torridon Hotel, in a fantastic location with breathtaking views of the loch and hills. I can thoroughly recommend it but it has become eye-wateringly expensive.

If you're in the area, go into the bar for a drink (I think it's open to non-residents) and sit on one of their setteees by the window overlooking the loch. Lovely.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Linnet » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:18 pm

We stopped at the Torridon for coffee on one of our trips - came in a tall silver pot to help ourselves, and with a plate of homemade shortbread.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Seatallan » Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:51 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:That's great to here, BB.
Our plan is to go on to Scotland if we can, and walk Ben Nevis, again if the stars are kind to us in September.

Have you walked it?


I have. My favourite route is via Carn Mor Dearg, starting and finishing at Torlundy. We have a week booked near the Cairgorms in September (holiday cottage). Will be fab if it comes off. Good luck! :thumbsup
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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Pampy » Tue Feb 09, 2021 5:03 pm

Binky wrote:Gill, we have stayed in some beautiful hotels in Scotland during a touring holiday several years ago. The best by far was The Torridon Hotel, in a fantastic location with breathtaking views of the loch and hills. I can thoroughly recommend it but it has become eye-wateringly expensive.

If you're in the area, go into the bar for a drink (I think it's open to non-residents) and sit on one of their setteees by the window overlooking the loch. Lovely.

I have friends who stay at the Torridon every year - they absolutely love it.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Busybee » Tue Feb 09, 2021 5:20 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:That's great to here, BB.
Our plan is to go on to Scotland if we can, and walk Ben Nevis, again if the stars are kind to us in September.

Have you walked it?



I love walking but don’t ‘do’ hills :lol: :lol:

Well, sometimes I can be persuaded, but no, I haven’t walked Ben Nevis.

We have stayed here numerous times https://www.balcary-bay-hotel.co.uk/

Lovely place with great food, good for exploring the area.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Tue Feb 09, 2021 5:43 pm

Torridon is stunning.
I've stayed at Shieldaig just round the bay, which was idyllic, just as you'd dream Scotland to be. I often recommend it if anyone wants to go this far up the West Coast.
And our eyewateringly expensive hotel days are over.

My favourite route is via Carn Mor Dearg, starting and finishing at Torlundy

Oh, ta. Now we know the ascent to take, Seatallan. I might have known you'd walked the Ben Nevis and know it well. I'll go have a explore online.

Busy,
hilly hills aren't a draw for everyone. But that hotel is wonderful.
Our last trip to Scotland was staying at the network of castles. Every one a stunner.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Seatallan » Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:24 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Torridon is stunning.
I've stayed at Shieldaig just round the bay, which was idyllic, just as you'd dream Scotland to be. I often recommend it if anyone wants to go this far up the West Coast.
And our eyewateringly expensive hotel days are over.

My favourite route is via Carn Mor Dearg, starting and finishing at Torlundy

Oh, ta. Now we know the ascent to take, Seatallan. I might have known you'd walked the Ben Nevis and know it well. I'll go have a explore online.



:thumbsup

Has the advantage of being a much quieter ascent (albeit more demanding). It's a bit of a shock when you pull up onto Ben Nevis from the Carn Mor Dearg arete and meet the world and his wife!

Love Torridon by the way. Love all that bit from there up through the geopark. Like nowhere else on earth. Some fab hills too.... :D
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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Feb 10, 2021 11:48 am

It looks like it's a 9hr walk in total, Seaty.
I'd better get into training.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Meganthemog » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:17 pm

I've walked Ben Nevis 3 times, first time with my mum and dad when I was about 11 - I have a picture of my mum and me at the top - she has her handbag slung over her shoulder. Secondly when I was about 36 with my OH and 16 year old daughter. We reached the summit and there was no-one else around - DD opened the door to the refuge and was greeted by half a dozen chaps saying come on in there's plenty of room and it's lovely and warm in here. As soon as mum and dad followed they beat a sheepish retreat! Third time was on my 50th birthday with 20+ friends and family ranging in age from 6 to 62. Took us 6 hours up and back - then back to the hotel for a party. Although we took the 'easy' route it was still pretty challenging for some. It certainly wasn't busy by any stretch of the imagination - snow on the summit in mid June. Wouldn't mind doing it again if we are ever allowed to leave Wales! Can highly recommend the Onich Hotel - friendly family run hotel.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby aero280 » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:31 pm

I’ve only been up Ben Nevis once. That must have been about 1971. We were delayed in Fort William because the road was closed for a few minutes for a fell run up the mountain. We drove after them up to the car park at Glen Nevis and got dressed up in our walking boots and gear and set off up the mountain. We had only gone a couple of hundred metres when we met the leading fell runners on their way back to Fort William!! :o

We met some of the runners who were staying in the same camp site. They reckoned it was about 1½ hours for the round trip, Ft William to Ben Nevis and back!

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:57 pm

hehehe @ Megan.
That happened to me in a lift, the S African rugby team was at the hotel. The big fellas made room for both me and Tony to get in, Tony chose to run up the stairs instead and left me squished in the lift. All good natured "room for a couple of small people" joking.

Well I do hope we get to Scotland after all. I'm fair excited about the prospect.
And usually Tony won't moan too much about a British holiday if there's an engaging walk involved.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:58 pm

The runners who go up and down are impressive.
I worry about their knees in later life, but they seem to glide up and down.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby scullion » Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:17 pm

i've not climbed ben nevis but i have done ben lawers, carrying my share of tent etc for an overnight camp on the edge of lochan nan cat. easier going up (and along) than coming down!

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Linnet » Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:22 pm

First time I went up Ben Nevis was in June 1964 with two German lads who were staying at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel. I was there with a friend, but she didn't want to do the walk, so I teamed up with them. Six feet of snow and a blizzard when we got to the top! No refuge there in those days. Next time was with OH and all 4 kids, youngest 8yrs, on the most glorious day in 1981; views in every direction as far as the eye could see. Remains in my mind as one of the best walking days ever.
A cousin was a fell runner, he held the record for the fastest 3 Peaks race for a number of years (Yorkshire 3 Peaks). Don't remember him having any knee problems, perhaps he was lucky.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Seatallan » Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:56 pm

There often is snow regardless of the time of year. We came up via Carn Mor Dearg on a very hot day in late June a few years back and there was cornicing as well as a good covering of snow on the summit. I also remember a late summer day on Anoach Mor when we encountered a full white-out on the summit. When we got back down to the Snow Goose cafe the sun was out and all the tourists that had come up in the gondola were milling around in tea shirts & shorts. We were in full kit with our rucksacks covered in fresh snow and weren't half getting some looks! :lol:
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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Feb 10, 2021 5:38 pm

I had that huge difference in temperature thing at Skiddaw.
30deg unseasonal hot day at Keswick - but minus temperature up the top.
I got latched onto by a walker couple I'm afraid who could drear for England. She kept going on about her tomatoes when she gets to the top.
Tomato this, tomato that.
Saw her bite into the tomato at the summit, which squirted her in the eye and blobbed down her front. Mwah ha ha ha!

I never stop.
I just plod on and on, get to the summit, take a pic, turn round and come back down. I don't take a break/ stop until I'm back at the starting point.
Tony strides on ahead, stops and waits for me to catch up, then powers on again. Different styles.

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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Seatallan » Wed Feb 10, 2021 6:45 pm

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Love the tomato story! Reminds me of an extremely irriating couple we once met on Eel Crag near Grasmore. Not only could they bore for Europe, they also (a) hogged the summit so no one else could get there and (b) spread out an entire box of Mr Kipling's Fondant Fancies on the summit cairn and didn't even offer us one. :evil: I'm still giving off about it over 10 years later! :)
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Re: Chatterbox 2

Postby Meganthemog » Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:23 pm

Gill I'm like you - keep on going until your at the top. Stop for obligatory photo and then down again - definitely harder on the knees on the way down.

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