I love the idea of big mountain trips, with plenty of climbing and plenty of exposure. But I also love the idea of heading out on a solo adventure, and most climbing related activities require you to team up with others to tackle the task. That’s probably why the idea of via ferrata has always seemed to appealing.
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After our disastrous attempt to summit Bidean Nam Bian, Louise and I had gone on a couple of other (far more successful) trips. But we hadn’t returned to the challenge. That was until 8 months later when I got a message from Louise saying she’d be up from London for her birthday. Rather than spend the day inside eating cake, she suggested we should head to Glen Coe again to give Bidean another go. This time we’d be far better prepared and we’d have the weather on our side.
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After a very relaxed start, Louise and I arrived in the viewpoint car park in the heart of Glen Coe. It was mid October and the clouds sat low and threatening. Even though it was only 10.30am, the light seemed to already be fading as the rain switched from drizzle to torrential and back again.
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I’ve now been climbing consistently for a few years; in fact my job is to teach people how to start climbing. I truly love the sport, from how it pushes you personally to how much of a community there is around it.
But I’ve also really struggled with my motivation to climb when I’ve not seen any improvements in my climbing. Yes, I hit the dreaded 6C plateau and stayed there for two years! And at times it made me question why I even bothered with the sport.
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We were treated to some fantastic weather this summer, and coupled with my recent purchase of a bouldering pad, I decided to test out as many local bouldering spots as possible.
Thom and I headed out one day to the south shore of Loch Katrine to check out the Trossachs boulders. The walk-in was a little boggy but the views made it worth it. The spot feels like a total dreamland once you get to the boulders. We spent a few hours climbing before the midges got so bad that we had to leave. Continue reading
It’s almost been a year since I lost one of my best friends to suicide. Here is a story and some pictures from one of the last times I saw her.
I met Anna while living in London, and in a short period of time we became really close friends. We kept in touch over the phone when I left the city, but as her mental health got worse, I suggested she came up to Scotland to get away from everything.
Last week looked like a busy one. Working in the climbing centre on Monday and Tuesday, doing an award show on Wednesday and Thursday, back to the centre on Friday morning, and onto a shoot in the afternoon. Busy busy! Thankfully the show on Thursday was canceled, giving me a day away from work and nothing planned.
I recently became a climbing instructor at the Glasgow Climbing Centre. It’s quite the career move from being a London based camera operator but it means I get to climb as much as I can and I’ve found a real joy for teaching people!
I’m sure the idea of heading out around the country and sleeping in the back of a van has crossed many outdoorsy people’s minds, and for me, this seems pretty perfect. In fact I’m so drawn to the idea that I’m hoping to eventually move into a van myself and live the full-time van life. Thankfully, a few weeks ago I got to experience staying in a van for two nights, and it’s just reinforced the idea in my mind.