The Cobbler

Convinced that Spring has truly arrived after the Baltic conditions encountered on Beinn Odhar last week, we are relived to find high cloud cover above our climb for today; Ben Arthur or The Cobbler as it is known colloquially.
The Cobbler is just short of a Munro but is still one of Scotland's most spectacular mountains due to the unusual skyline and fabulous views. One of a group of mountains known as 'The Arrochar Alps' The Cobbler was the happy hunting ground of many of Scotland's early climbers and climbing clubs.

Arriving at the car park west of Arrochar at 12:30pm we struggle to find a parking space, which reflects the mountains popularity and proximity to the heavily populated central belt. Crossing over the A83 we start our ascent up the gentle zigzags as a beautiful vista of Loch Long and Arrochar open up below us. As we pass a small reservoir the three peaks of The Cobbler become visible with the figure of the 'crooked shoe maker' - the Cobbler, clearly distinguishable on the right hand peak (see photo). The next mile or so gives gentle relief over welcoming terrain after the endless zigzag climb out of Loch Long. At the foot of the final climb the path offers two varied routes, the easy way is to carry on to the right and follow the path around the back of the hill and ascent the final summit via the many well placed stone steps up the side of the hill. Or, alternatively you can veer left and head straight up the front of the final summit which entails climbing over various ill placed rocks and potential leg breaks for the unwary.

We take the wooses’ route and climb round the back of the hill and look on in amusement at the number of climbers descending down from the surrounding peaks in ant like fashion to the aforementioned car park. As we clear the numerous thigh building stone steps we sweep round to see the jagged summit populated by numerous parents, children and dogs giving the dangerous summit a surreal vision of a family day out. As we ascend the final ridge views to the south open up to Loch Long, Gareloch, the Firth of Clyde, Bute, Arran and the Atlantic beyond. To the east are views over Arrochar to Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and as far as the Lake of Menteith in the hazy distance. To the west views open up on a clear day of the isles of Jura and Islay. Views to the north take in a huge swath of the highlands with many well known peaks which would only be identifiable to us with the help of map & compass.

To truly capture the summit it is required that you access the centre peak. To achieve this, the climber has to pass through a small opening in the rock which leads to a narrow ledge facing a 150 ft vertigo inspiring drop. Once on the ledge an awkward sloping ramp leads to a final step onto the flat summit rock - on which few choose to stand upright. (The large rock on the left of panoramic above). Again the wooses’ option is chosen by us as we watch various brave (foolhardy) individuals’ display their high levels of testosterone.

On capturing our photographic panoramic and a brave effort by Eric to surmount his own personal precipice (see photo) we return via the bolder strewn path down the front of the mountain, which may be shorter in length but is no shorter in time to descend as the various obstacles in the path ensure and uncomfortable and time consuming effort to achieve flat ground.
As we return to the car park six hours after departure we find that it has emptied and bizarrely we realise that we are alone for the first time today.

The Sun Shines On The Righteous

We travel to the east coast today and ‘The Kingdom of Fife’ to investigate Scotland’s best kept secret for over 40 years. Hidden beneath an innocent Farmhouse a few miles from RAF Leuchars, a tunnel leads to, Scotland’s Secret Bunker. Situated on two levels 100 feet underground it is the size of two football pitches, one on top of another and encompasses 24,000 square feet of Secret accommodation.

The remoteness of the location gives an eerie feel to the place as you travel down a farm road to an innocuous farm which is now littered with abandoned military vehicles which sadly scar the surrounds and blatantly sign post the original objectives of the locale which was kept secret for so many years. On entering the farmhouse you are processed through the obligatory tacky gift shop before paying a kindly and informative local woman at the entrance to a 150m entrance tunnel, before reaching hermetically sealed 3 ton blast proof doors which mark the entrance to the underground structure.

The bunker was constructed in 1954 in response to the ongoing threat of Russia and nuclear war and this is reflected by the exhibits, many of which remain in situ from the time it was constructed but now look outdated in the modern electronic age.
This underground insight of our secret cold war activities provides a fascinating revelation into the levels of paranoia that must have existed at that time and the levels of expenditure that the Government were willing to invest in this perceived threat from the Eastern Block.

On our return to the surface and the 21st Century we continue our exploration of Fife and its coast.
Fife is a peninsular in eastern Scotland bordered on the north by the Firth of Tay on the east by the North Sea and the Firth of Forth to the south. We start our journey by crossing the Tay Bridge into Dundee and then re-cross and take the Fife Coastal Route which runs from The Tay Bridge in the North to The Kincardine Bridge in the South. Our first destination is St Andrews. Famous for being ‘The Home of Golf’, the town was the centre of religious life in Scotland before the Reformation, with the bishops wielding great influence over both church and state. St Andrews is also famous as a place of learning. The university, founded in 1410-11, is the third oldest in Britain. In modern times the alluring but often windy beach was the setting for the famous opening scene of ‘Chariots of Fire’, in which the runners run along the beach bare footed in slow motion with unbearably smug smiles on their faces to the haunting strains of Vangelis’s theme tune. St Andrews on an April Saturday proves to be relatively quiet, peppered occasionally with the ubiquitous over excited American holler of ‘Awesome’ as they overload on medieval history and culture before returning to the Errm ‘Land of the Free’.

From St Andrews we head south along the coast to the picturesque fishing villages of Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and Elie. Where old cottages and merchants' houses, huddle round stone-built harbours where fishing boats lie at rest following the bustle of unloading their catch. Most of these cottages have now left the ownership of the local fishermen and have been acquired by the well heeled of Edinburgh and Dundee. The ever growing presence of Beauty Therapists, Chiropractors and Gastropubs reflects this modern trend.
As we round the south coast peninsular we glimpse the city of Edinburgh across the Firth of Forth and eventually the Forth Bridges which traverse it, open up in front of us.

The 1.5 mile Forth Railway Bridge was the world’s first major steel bridge, with its gigantic girder spans of 1710 ft, it ranks as one of the great engineering feats of civilization. Construction began in 1883 and formally completed on 4 March 1890 making it a landmark of Scottish and world renown. Today, the bridge, Scotland’s biggest ‘listed’ building, continues to form a vital artery in Network Rail's East Coast railway system; it carries 180 - 200 train movements per day.

The road bridge is a fairly modern construction in comparison and was built in 1964. The bridge's central main span is 3,298 ft long, its two side spans are each 1338 ft long, and the approach viaducts are 827 ft on the north side and 1,437 ft on the south side; at a total length of 8,242 ft, it was the longest suspension bridge outside the United States and the fourth largest in the world at the time of its construction.

Thankfully, the weather which has been dull and overcast all day suddenly clears and bright skies abound as we set up the camera to capture a panoramic of the two bridges taken from the slipway of the original ferry crossings.

The sun does indeed shine on the righteous ;-)

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.