{"id":263,"date":"2008-03-20T10:00:40","date_gmt":"2008-03-20T10:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prwilliams-photography.co.uk\/?p=263"},"modified":"2018-09-09T19:08:39","modified_gmt":"2018-09-09T19:08:39","slug":"mountaineering-scotland-munro-skye-20080320","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prwilliams-photography.co.uk\/?p=263","title":{"rendered":"Stormy Skye, a trashed tent, no Munros but still a great time."},"content":{"rendered":"

A 4 day trip to the black Cuillins on the Isle of Skye also known as the \u2018British Alps\u2019 due to their precipitous slopes and sharp ridges.<\/p>\n

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Stormy Skye, a damaged tent & retreat.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

The forecast was not good. A depression was forming off Iceland and it was heading our way. This was not the news we wanted on a four-day hiking trip up to Scotland, particularly the Isle of Skye.<\/p>\n

The flight from Gatwick to Inverness was a bit choppy which was indicative of things to come and by the time I arrived at Loch Brittle late afternoon, the wind was already building up to be quite strong. It was the first day of the camping season which was pushing it a bit as Easter was the earliest it could possibly be in March. I imagined that I had been a bit too optimistic as I was the only tent there that evening.<\/p>\n

I managed to get my small tent up in between the hail showers but it was not reassuring as the gusts threatened to either rip the tent from its moorings or just rip the tent up itself!.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View down to Loch Brittle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I walked along the Brittle beach at least glad to be out in the fresh (very fresh!) air gazing up at the magnificent Cuillins. There was only one other person on the front and we struck up a conversation about the weather, mountains and life in general. It turned out that Dave was a Glaswegian who lived in the bothy next to the campsite. He was retired and made regular trips up to his second home. As his wife was back in Glasgow he was glad for any company and kindly invited me into his home for a cup of coffee by the warm fire. Any less time spent in the buffeted tent was welcome.<\/p>\n

In the early evening I spent a couple of hours poring over my maps at the Ye Olde Inn in Carbost. The food was basic, but fine and the locals friendly and talkative. After a beer and as the evening drew in I could put if off no longer I drove back to Glenbrittle and retired to my tent. Wow, what a night. I was sure I would wake in the middle of the night staring at the stars watching my tent fly off into the distance. As it was, it held fast but it was practically impossible to get a good nights sleep. It was not the cold (as I had all my mountain gear), but the constant buffeting of the tent against my head and the roaring of the wind as it swept across the glen that were the problems.
\nThe following day was a write off. The wind blew a gale all day making it impossible to do any hiking. This was accompanied by fronts that continually blew across the glen bringing rain, hail and snow. It just wasn\u2019t worth going out and wasting energy.<\/p>\n