Beinn Odhar

For anyone lucky enough to travel north via the A82 Glasgow to Inverness road or aboard the scenic Glasgow to Fort William train, the mountain of Beinn Odhar will be a familiar sight as you climb north out of the village of Tyndrum, which stands proudly guarding the entrance to Glen Auch. The railway/A82 runs a wee bit too close to appreciate this hill's graceful form so it is best viewed whilst travelling south from the Bridge of Orchy, as seen in our photograph.

Beinn Odhar is a mountain that has been passed by us on numerous occasions as it has by thousands of commuters on a daily basis. It is also one that very few have attempted to climb. At a height of 901 metres (2956 feet) it fails to make Munro status (mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet ) by just 13 metres or 44 feet, thus making it the 18th highest Corbett (peaks in Scotland between 2,500 and 3,000 feet). Its failure though to achieve Munro status ensures a certain amount of solitude whilst climbing.
(In Scottish moutaineering circles, the majority of climbers attempt to ‘Bag a Munro’ whilst out climbing and anything below 3000 ft is regarded as not worthy of consideration.)

The anticipated weather conditions prove woefully wrong in their prediction as we park the car at the foot of the hill, 2.5 miles north of Tyndrum. A strong head on wind laced with sleet makes the lower part of the climb an unwelcome slog through boggy ground. We then find ourselves climbing or sliding up sheer ice where it is necessary to stamp the feet into the ground in order not to slide back down the mountain side. After quite a few slips and at one point Emma hanging onto dear life to a rickety old fence, to stop from blowing away, we reach a more sheltered landing. This has been a new experience for both of us and we feel that we have now progressed into the professional climbers club! Later we achieve considerable height and find that the wind/sleet sleet conditions have subsided and a beautiful vista over the Tyndrum and the surrounding hills has opened up.
Ahead of us lies the snow line at about 800 feet and a summit which proves to be false with a frozen unnamed Lochan nestling in its heart.

Tackling the final rise to the true summit the sun appears and warms our chilled extremities before we ascend the final plateau where the wind speed rises dramatically as the cairn marking the hills summit at 2956 feet.
Capturing a panoramic shot in such strong wind speeds proves to be a dangerous endeavor as the chill factor exerts extreme frostbite symptoms to the finger tips within 30 seconds of the removal of our gloves.

With our panoramic of the neighbouring Beinn Dorain captured we begin our descent from the summit in brilliant sunshine via the secluded south east flank with the Tyndrum Hills in our immediate horizon. The snow which is now disappearing rapidly provides a safe and comfortable foot bed as we bound down the hill at a leisurely pace and make our way back to the car 4 hours after our departure.

The Road To The Isles

After walking 95 miles, the prevailing aches and pains felt on awakening today are not from Repetitive Strain Injury incurred over 7 days wading through mixed terrain. No, the intrepid threesome are suffering from a severe case of woolly headiness gained from the previous evenings over indulgent celebrations.

Undeterred we surface from our alcohol induced slumber at an early hour, as we intend to travel along the ‘Road to the Isles’ which will take us along the main A830 road from Fort William to Mallaig. A route steeped in history where Bonnie Prince Charlie found safety and security and is also renowned for its spectacular scenery.
Our first stop along the route is at Glenfinnan. It was here in on Monday 19 August 1745 a small rowing boat landed at the north end of Loch Shiel and ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ came ashore and met his escort of 50 MacDonalds before retiring to a nearby barn to await the response to letters he had sent to possible supporters all over the Highlands. Another 150 MacDonalds were quickly on the scene, but for some time it seemed that Bonnie Prince Charlie was going to have to challenge for his father's right to the thrones of Scotland and England with just 200 men. Then pipes were heard approaching from the north. It was up to 1000 men of the Clan Cameron belatedly followed by three hundred Macdonnells who had been delayed by a successful skirmish with Government troops near today's Spean Bridge, and from here the beginnings of the Jacobite Rising were born. It was to end though in bloody failure at Culloden on 16 April 1746, less than eight months later. In its aftermath the Highland way of life that had existed for hundreds of years was swept away by brutality, suppression and self interest. Public executions of those loyal to the Jacobite cause impressed upon the Scottish people the need to toe the line, and the lands of the Jacobite chiefs were forfeited and a determined effort was made to end the clan system once and for all.

By 1815 the Jacobite threat had receded sufficiently into history to allow the erection at Glenfinnan of a monument to mark the raising of the standard, paid for by the wealthy descendant of a Jacobite. This is a stone tower surmounted by a statue of a kilted highlander (not the prince himself as is often thought).

Sitting adjacent to the monument lays Glenfinnan Viaduct which is 416 yards long and made up of 21 arches, the tallest of which is 100ft high. What is less obvious from a distance is that the viaduct is also curved, leading the track round the head of the River Finnan valley. The Viaduct is more recognizable today for the flying car sequence in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

From here we travel on to the end of the Road to the Isles to the quaint fishing village of Mallaig which is also the main ferry terminus for Skye and is also the main hopping off point for those wanting to catch a ferry to the islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck. Alas, Mallaig in March is a rather desolate place as the town prepares itself for the influx of tourists at Easter and beyond. However, as the sun puts in a welcome appearance we manage to capture a scenic panorama of this famous harbour.

On our return to Fort William we detour slightly off the A830 to visit the Silver Sands of Morar, made famous through countless calendars, were the setting for the beach scenes in the classic film 'Local Hero' were captured. There are a whole series of beaches lying to the west of the old road between Arisaig and Morar with the islands of Eigg and Rum in the distance. To our astonishment we find the Silver Sands bathed in brilliant sunshine and bereft of human activity as we rejoice in its solitude. For the brief hour or so we share on the beach, we could with a little imagination be on a secluded beach in The Bahamas, albeit in near zero temperatures.

Wind and Rain Along 'The Way'

As Emma nears the completion of the grueling 95 mile West Highland Way from the central lowlands to the remote highlands of Scotland we arrange to meet up at Blackwater Bunkhouse in Kinlochleven, the penultimate overnight stop along the way.
The path uses many ancient roads, including Drovers’ roads, military roads and old coaching roads and is traditionally walked from south to north and passes through a wide range of different terrains, ranging from lowland moors, through dense woodland and rolling hills, to high mountainous regions. On her journey she has teamed up with an old work colleague (Bill Lowe) and his friend (Lawrence Barclay), both of whom aim to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support by completing the walk.

We meet up initially on Saturday evening at the comfortable bunkhouse in Kinlochleven before setting off early on Sunday morning for the final 14 mile slog to Fort William and completion (see guide map above).

Leaving Kinlochleven the military road climbs steeply out of Loch Leven valley to about 250m and continues to rise, though not as steeply, to the summit of the Lairigmor, just over 300m. After Lairigmor the mountains close in, and the valley and decimated trees are all that you see stretching out in front as we try to take in the vistas through the head on wind and unrelenting showers. Eventually the path enters the enclosed comfort of a forest and we welcome its cover. After a 2 mile climb through the forest we arrive at an opening in the tree canvas which introduces us to our first glimpse of Fort William, which is sitting enticingly in a south westerly direction at the end of a very long downhill forest road through Glen Nevis with the majestic Ben Nevis looming large in our near horizon.

As the end is reached at Fort William the triumphant threesome are captured on celluloid for posterity (see above) before a night of well deserved relaxation in the comfort of the towns finest hostelries accompanied by numerous fine Scottish beers and whisky.

Glasgow Panoramics

In an effort to satisfy our new found passion for capturing ‘Panoramic Landscapes’, which are made by taking a series of overlapping shots and using Photoshop to join and blend them together seamlessly. We seek out the high vantage points around Glasgow to capture our inaugural efforts at this genre.
Unfortunately for us, Glasgow is more renowned for the river which flows through it, than it is for it’s prominent hills. The vantage points that we manage to ascend reveal a fairly disappointing skyline that may make a Glaswegian swell with pride but make pretty bland viewing for the neutral observer.
Cathkin Braes situated in the South East of the city is regarded as the highest point of the city and it is here that we shoot out first panoramic (click images for full scale size):

As a contrast to the industrial outlook offered by Cathkin Braes we travel back in to Glasgow City and go to the Necropolis Cemetery. This is a fascinating Victorian garden graveyard adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral, or the dead centre of Glasgow, as it is referred too by the local wags. Within these hallowed grounds you can find monuments designed by major architects and sculptors of the 19th century, including Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, Charles Rennie Macintosh and JT Rochead, in every architectural style, created for the prominent and wealthy entrepreneurs of the ‘Second City of the Empire’.
It’s location on a hill east of the city centre offers us another opportunity to indulge our panoramic urges as we capture some outstanding vistas from this city’s most eerie location.

Ghosts in the Machine

As the longest winter in living memory continues to deny entry into spring we find our choice of weekend meanderings severely limited by the onslaught of hail and high winds. As an alternative to a coastal or country walk we seek out the warmth and shelter afforded by The Glasgow Science Centre, which is situated on what used to be the lifeblood of the city, The River Clyde.
The science centre is now part of a massive regeneration project evolving along both sides of the Clyde as Glasgow City Council finally recognises the arrival of the 21st century by sanctioning a massive investment program which will see the final evidence of it’s industrial past replaced by office blocks, hotels, leisure facilities and accommodation that only the prosperous can afford.

Princes Dock in which the science centre stands operated as a successful cargo port for more than a 100 years and cost over £1 million to construct in 1897 and for many residents of the city the replacement of these docks and others along the Clyde represents the final death Nell of the working class identity to which Glasgow has become synonymous.

Since its completion in 2001 The Science Centre and its adjoining tower have attracted mixed reviews with the tower gaining unwanted notoriety for its continued safety and engineering problems.
Undeterred by the negative reviews we set off in anticipation of a gentle afternoon exploring the mind and senses. While waiting for the sole front desk operative to process the lengthy queue of customers at the entrance foyer we notice the following mission statement:

Our Mission.
“To promote science and technology through thought-provoking, fun and exciting experiences that inspires all to explore and understand the world through them.”

Mission statements often flatter to deceive but as we travel through the three floors of the main Science Mall and engross ourselves in the interactive games, puzzles and mind benders we realise that the four hours we envisaged to peruse the exhibits is woefully short in its presumption. Our planned visits to the Planetarium, IMAX Cinema and the perpetually closed revolving tower would need to be completed on another day.
Amongst the scientific challenges we found an interesting illusions section in which we captured a ghost like image of ourselves aided by the use of lights and glass which we feel symbolises our shared love of photographc imagery and the camera, which can be seen above.

As the inner child within us took hold we quickly ran out of time as the 5pm closing time was reached and we left the premises as the staff were rushing around frantically preparing for their own Saturday night adventures.
Recommendations for anyone planning to visit would be to get there early and pre-plan your day. If you have a family, be prepared to dig deep into the weekly budget as the entrance fees to the four major exhibits will damage the purse substantially and be sure to check: http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/ before visiting to see if the infamous spinning tower is functioning.

Good luck.